Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2103H1F L0101

Undergraduate Course Code: POL491H1F L0101

Topics in Canadian Politics II

Canadian Judicial Politics

Themes

This course will take an advanced look the major theoretical and political debates in Canadian judicial politics. In the first half, the course will focus on institutions, and examine in-depth the controversies surrounding the proper relationship between the courts and the political branches, the basis of judicial independence, legal reasoning, and differing views on the appropriate method for the selection of judges. In the latter half, the class will engage with the central debates in contemporary Canadian public law, such as the role of secularism in a multicultural society, Indigenous law and politics, and collaborative federalism. The class will also explore the value, if any, of the “public/private law” distinction. Assessment will be based on participation as well as a term paper exploring a major debate in Canadian judicial politics.