Besides literacy and numeracy, citizenship and diplomacy are fundamental skills needed to achieve a good quality of life. Citizenship includes both the rights and duties of membership in a political community. Diplomacy is the art and practice of reaching agreements through negotiation. A healthy democracy requires the active and informed participation of its citizens, but this is only possible with a good understanding of its political institutions, processes and issues. Political Science is the discipline devoted to the systematic investigation of citizenship and diplomacy in local, national and international communities. To achieve its purposes, the Department of Political Science offers the opportunity to study political philosophy, comparative politics, Canadian government, international politics and public administration. The latter field is offered in two public administration certificates. These certificates are available in municipal administration and First Nations administration. Majors in Political Science must take a minimum of 51 credit hours in Political Science or other designated disciplines.