Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An overview of Canadian foreign policy post World War II. Various perspectives are discussed including realism, economic nationalism, liberal internationalism and political economy/dependency analysis. A variety of analytical perspectives are used to examine issue-areas such as foreign trade including the role of NAFTA, defence policy and alliance relations, foreign investment, foreign aid, immigration policy, energy policy and the role of domestic political factors in foreign policy decision-making.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course will build upon students’ existing knowledge of Canadian and international politics in order to develop a critical understanding of Canada’s place in the world, past and present.

The class will combine an understanding of the fundamental concepts of foreign policy theory and practice with an examination of ongoing topics of relevance to Canadian foreign policy. Topics include an overview of the contemporary international context, major approaches to the study of foreign policy, the history and evolution of Canadian foreign policy in the post-war era and major influences on it, and contemporary topics and challenges. These include both classic security challenges, of Canada’s trade policy in North America and beyond, gender, the environment, and contemporary threats to Canada both digital and material.

The four hours of class time will include a mixture of lecture, group discussions, in-class assignments and audio-visual content. At the conclusion of the course, students will understand the origins and subsequent evolution of Canada’s approaches to foreign policy, and be able to describe and analyze the major challenges facing the country today.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: