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Course Description

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 begin 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 explore the primary institutions that structure politics in the country, including Parliament, the executive, the courts, federalism, media, elections, the electoral system, parties, and the party system. 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, we examine the major social cleavages in Canadian society and the politics that have arisen from these forces, focusing in particular on gender, multiculturalism and immigrant minorities, Quebec and Canada, and Indigenous politics.

Rather than focus on the specifics of how Canadian political institutions work, we will have broader discussions about Canadian politics as a field of study. As a result, the course assumes at least an introductory knowledge of Canadian Politics.

The main purpose of the course is to prepare PhD students for the field exam in Canadian Politics. However, MA students will benefit from developing a sense of their scholarly identity in preparation for undertaking MRP research.