Fall/Winter Timetable
POL2103H1S L0101
Undergraduate Course Code: POL491H1S L0101
Topics in Canadian Politics II
Canadian Federalism, from a Comparative Perspective
Themes
This course treats Canada as a key case within the comparative study of federations. The particular focus is on the management of diversity and conflict, analyzing the socio-demographic and institutional aspects of Canada through the lens of applicable federal theory and policy. The goal is to understand Canada through this lens, but also to reflect back on the broader theory and policy discussed.
The course is divided into two sections. The first introduces core elements of comparative federal studies, linking this to the different ways we can understand Canada and the general theory and policy related to the use of federation to manage diversity and conflict. The second section turns to investigate three key elements of managing diversity via federation in Canada, and elsewhere. These three elements are: 1) how power is distributed in a federation; 2) the role of the federal arbiter in managing conflict; and, 3) how minority groups are represented in federal institutions.
Texts
TBA
Format and Requirements
One two-hour seminar per week. Course requirements: participation (20%); presentation (20%); research project (proposal - 15%, paper - 45%).
November 14, 2023
Congratulations to Madalyn Hay, a recipient of a 2023-2024 Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship. Madalyn, one of our doctoral students, holds a BAH in Contemporary Studies and Classics from the...
August 24, 2023
Congratulations to alumna Meaghan Williams, a recipient of the 2022-23 Governor General’s Gold Medal for Academic Excellence, the highest academic honour available to graduate students in Canada. Awarded annually by the Office of the...
June 14, 2021
Great news from the Canadian Political Science Association, which held its annual awards ceremony (online) over the weekend of June 12 & 13: Professor Stefan Rencken’s book "Private Governance and Public...
April 22, 2021
Congratulations to two political science alumni now teaching at U of T who have both won Superior Teaching Awards! Igor Shoikhedbrod and Khalid Ahmed will be celebrated on May 5th at...
August 6, 2020
Q&A with 2020 Vanier Scholar Yojana Miraya Oscco Congratulations to PhD student Yojana Miraya Oscco who has won a prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC). Launched in 2008, the program enables...
April 30, 2020
Congratulations to our graduate student Kevin Edmonds who has won New College's June Larkin Award for Pedagogical Development. A PhD candidate specializing in Caribbean political economy, histories of alternative/illicit development, foreign intervention and...