POL382H1S L0101

Topics in Canadian Politics

Language Regimes in Canada

Themes

This course aims to move beyond the simple claim that Canada is a “bilingual country” and examine more deeply the complicated pattern of regulation and theory that underpins federal, provincial and territorial language policies. While it is true that the federal government works to defend the “official” languages at the national level, the country is actually a patchwork of legal approaches that each stem from very different political considerations. Along with the obvious case of Quebec, these range from the nominal bilingualism in Ontario, to full constitutional bilingual status in New Brunswick, to the emerging language regime in the largely Inuit territory of Nunavut. The course will begin with a theoretical discussion of minority language rights before moving into a broader discussion about how this issue has played out in Canada specifically, with an eye to various constitutional, demographic, and political factors.

Texts

Readings will consist of approximately 2-4 articles or book chapters posted to Blackboard each week or otherwise available through the University of Toronto Library system.

Format and Requirements

Research essay (12-15 pages) 40%, presentation 20%, weekly responses 20%, and participation 20%.

Prerequisites

POL214H1/ POL214Y1/ POL214Y5/ POL215H5/ POL216H5/ POL224H1/ POL224Y1/ POLB50Y3