How has colonialism shaped the development of Canadian government and politics? How did Canada become bilingual and multicultural? How does political change happen in Canada? During this course, we will explore these questions and others. In the first part of the course, we will examine important historical events that continue to shape Canadian politics today. In the second part of the course, we will assess the development and functioning of Canada’s electoral and governing institutions. In the third part of the course, we will analyze how historical events and political institutions shape contemporary issues in Canadian politics, including Quebec-Canada relations and ongoing issues of settler colonialism.

The format of this course is unlike many university courses. This course uses what is called a flipped classroom. It integrates online learning with face-to-face learning. You can work at your own pace online and review complex concepts as necessary. In class, we will use our time together for activities (e.g., discussions, simulations, guest speakers, writing or skills workshops). This approach is known to be more engaging for students and improve student success.

When and how do we see progress on LGBTQ+ issues? What are key opportunities and challenges of pursuing LGBTQ+ issues in different venues (e.g., in courts, legislatures, etc.)? What are the benefits and drawbacks of forming coalitions? Which issues should LGBTQ+ activists prioritize, which strategies should they pursue, and why? This course explores these questions and others. We will focus especially on LGBTQ+ politics in Canada and the United States, but we will also speak about other contexts where applicable.

Why does healthcare look so different in Canada than in the US? Why have feminists aligned with one party in the US but not in Canada? And how do global norms shape Canadian politics? This course explores these questions (and others) by examining how and why scholars compare Canada with other places—and whether those comparisons help us understand Canadian politics better.

In the first part of the course, we’ll dig into the big debates: should we compare at all? What makes comparisons compelling? In the second part, we’ll put those ideas to work by analyzing real comparisons—mostly between Canada and the US, but sometimes with other countries (e.g., the UK, Australia, and New Zealand), the European Union, or even within-Canada comparisons between provinces. Topics include healthcare, party politics, immigrant settlement, Indigenous self-government, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, social conservatism, race and global norms, and disability rights.

This course provides a survey of the major traditions and themes in Canadian politics through an examination of the institutions, groups, and processes that characterize the Canadian political system. We start with an introduction to the field of Canadian politics as a discipline, including accounts of the historical development of the field and an overview of major debates. From there, we move to an analysis of the primary institutions that structure politics in the country, including parliament, the executive, federalism, the courts, elections, media, and both parties and the party system as a whole. We also examine voting behaviour and public opinion, with an introduction to the cleavages and social forces that characterize our electoral politics, and Canadian politics more generally. Finally, the course examines the major social cleavages in Canadian society and the politics that have arisen from these forces, focusing in particular on multiculturalism and race, Quebec and Canada, Indigenous peoples, and women/gender.