Politics 222: Introduction to Canadian Politics

PREREQUISITE:  POL 100 OR POL 151 OR 30 CREDITS* 

      COURSE OUTLINE  CourseDescription:

This course is about Canadian politics at the federal level. We will look at a number of the most important differences and divisions in Canadian political life, and some of the structures and processes of democratic politics, including political parties and elections. Among other things, we will examine aspects of Canadian political culture, ask questions about nations and nationalism within our borders, explore the background of  contemporary aboriginal politics, consider the future of the politics of gender, and discuss the past, present and future of separatism in Quebec.

Rand Dyck, Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches  (3rd ed.)
Course Kit: POL 222 (01-1 edition) compiled by Lynda Erickson

Keith Archer, Roger Gibbins, Rainier Knopf and Ted Morton, Parameters of Power  2nd ed
Robert J. Jackson and Doreen Jackson, Politics in Canada,  3rd ed.
T.C. Pocklington (ed.) Representative Democracy: An Introduction to Politics and Government, 2nd ed. 
Richard Van Loon and Michael Whittington, The Canadian Political System 4th  ed.
Paul Fox and Graham White (eds.), Politics: Canada,  7th ed.
James Bickerton and Alain-G Gagnon (eds.), Canadian Politics: an Introduction to the Discipline 3rd  ed. 

NOTE: Students should keep informed about national political events and issues. To do this, you should read about the national political news regularly in a newspaper and, if possible, listen to coverage of the national news on CBC radio. (I recommend "The World Six.") I also recommend a program aired by CBC AM (690 on the dial) at 9:00 AM on Saturdays. This program, called "The House," covers the week in national politics. 

Three hours of lecture. There will also be a (non-compulsory) tutorial available for students who have questions or need some assistance as well as to help groups prepare for debates. 

Papers (2 short ones) 40% 

Debate Participation 10% 

Mid-term exam 15% 

Final exam  35% 

• If you wish to register in this course and do not have POL 100 or POL 151 consult the Departmental Adviser for a course waiver 
• This course may be applied towards the Liberal Arts Certificate. 
• May be taken for credit towards Joint Major in French, History and Politics. 

COURSE TIMETABLE AND READING LIST
The timetable is approximate. Copies of all the readings, except those in the required textbook have been put on reserve in the library. The readings that are included in the course reading kit are marked #. Please let me know if you are having difficulty obtaining the readings . 
ALL READINGS LISTED BELOW ARE REQUIRED READINGS. 

Week 1  Introduction: the Nature and Study of Politics 
             #Jane Jenson “Understanding Politics: Contested Concepts of Identity in Political         Science,” Canadian Politics, 2nd edition, ed. James P. Bickerton and Alain-G. Gagnon, 54-61. 

 
  The Historical and Socio-Economic Context of Canadian Politics 
 Dyck, ch. 2. 
 #Stephen Brooks, Canadian Democracy: an Introduction 2nd ed., 63-83. 

         National Identity

 #Peter Alter, Nationalism 2nd ed. 6-9 (definition of nation). 
 #Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities 5-7 (definition of nation). 
#Robert J. Jackson and Doreen Jackson, Politics in Canada: Culture, Institutions and Public Policy, 48-55. 
 #Neil Nevitte, Decline of Deference, 63-67. 

 Suggested reading:  Jane Jenson, “Naming nations: nationalisms in Canadian public discourse,” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 30 #2, 337-358. 

Dyck, 200-213
#Seymour Martin Lipset, “Historical traditions and national characteristics: a comparative analysis of Canada and the United States,” Canadian Journal of Sociology 11 (2) 1986. 113-155. 
 #Neil Nevitte, Decline of Deference, 19-32; 48-73. 

Dyck, ch. 5. 
  #Stéphane Dion, "Explaining Quebec Nationalism," in R. Kent Weaver (ed.), The Collapse of Canada? 77-121. 
  #Robert Young, “Quebec Secession and the 1995 Referendum,” in, Challenges to Canadian Federalism, ed. Martin Westmacott and Hugh Mellon, 112-126. 
   # Charles Taylor, Reconciling the Solitudes, pp. 187-210. 

  #Dyck, ch. 4. 
  #B.C. Treaty Commission, “Laypersons’ Guide to Delgamuukw,” B.C. Treat Commission Annual Report 1998. 

Duck. ch. 6. 
#Raymond Breton, "Multiculturalism and Nation Building," in The Politics of Gender,  Ethnicity and Language in Canada eds. Alan Cairns and Cynthia Williams. 
  #Jasmeen Abu-Laban, “The Politics of Race and Ethnicity: Multiculturalism as a Contested Arena,” in James P. Bickerton and Alain-G. Gagnon (eds.), Canadian Politics,  2nd ed. 

Dyck, ch. 3.
Roger Gibbins, Conflict and Unity (3rd ed) . ch 5. 

  Dyck, ch. 7.
  # Anne Phillips, The Politics of Presence, 1-13; 21-26. 

  Dyck, ch. 8. 
  #J.M. Bumsted, “The Rise and Fall of the Welfare State in Canada: An Introduction,” in A Passion for Identity, eds. David Taras and Beverly Rasporich 139-155. 

  Dyck, ch. 13.. 

  Dyck, ch. 12. 
  #Henry Milner, “The Case for Proportional Representation,” Policy Options November, 1997, pp. 6-9. 
  #Peter Aucoin and Jennifer Smith, “Proportional Representation: Misrepresenting Inequality,” Policy Options, November, 1997, pp. 30-32. 

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For Canadian Politics Internet Resources click here

The debate structure and rules are only partially patterned after those of most debating societies. They are different in two respects. Most importantly, our debates are NOT battles. The objective of each team is to make the most well-founded and convincing  arguments on their side of the topic being debated. Deliberately giving incorrect information is inappropriate and against the rules. Second, the teams are larger than the two-persons. 

FORMAT:
The debate will consist of two teams of four persons each and a timer/chairperson. Teams will consist of the following positions: 

• Introductory speaker 
• Second speaker 
• Third speaker 
• Concluding speaker

THE MOTIONS:

• Debate 1: There is a Canadian nation 
• Debate 2: American political culture is more egalitarian than is Canadian political culture
• Debate 3:Quebec should separate from Canada (note: this motion should be directed to a class of Québécois students) 
• Debate 4: Multiculturalism undermines Canadian unity 
• Debate 5: The answer to the problem of Western alienation is a more decentralized state
• Debate 6: More women need to be elected to the House of Commons 
• Debate 7: Canada needs a new electoral system 

DEFINITIONS:
The definition is the interpretation of the motion, as put forward by the first speaker on the proposition side. The definition should: 

• State the issue for debate arising out of the motion 
• State the meaning of any terms in the motion which require clarification 
• Have a clear and logical link to the motion

• The timing of each speech starts when the member, called upon by the Chairperson, has taken the floor. 
• All but the final speeches for each side will be five minutes in duration. The end of the fifth minute will be signaled by the chair by a ring of the bell. Speeches over five minutes and 20 seconds will be terminated by the chairperson.
 

                  ROLES OF EACH SPEAKER

ADJUDICATION:
Members of the class who are not in the debate will be both the audience and the judges of the debate. Each class member will be provided with a scoring sheet to which they will append their names and the scores they assign to each team. 
 

JUDGING CRITERIA:[Total Points=100] 

 OVERALL ARGUMENTATION: relevance, structure, clarity, logic, consistency and general thoroughness of each member's arguments. Information cited is relevant and correct. 
[40 points] 

REFUTATION: responses to arguments of opponents are well-argued (see above). 
[20 points] 

 TEAMWORK: members refer to each other's arguments, have demonstrated a team-case in their presentation and complement each other stylistically.
[20 points] 

STYLE: delivery, accentuation, and pace
[20 points] 
 

DEBATING TIPS:

• Don't worry about being nervous. Remember that virtually everybody is nervous about speaking, so your audience will be sympathetic. Don't apologize for lack of ability. 
• Prepare your argument around 2 or 3 main points and prepare responses to 2-3 main opposing points. Feel free to pre-empt opponents' points. This may force them to modify their speech. 
• Avoid quotations unless extremely useful to your speech. 
• Avoid the use of clichés. 
• Write notes, but memorize the key points and highlights of your speech.
• Rehearse your speech ahead of time to be sure that you can keep to your time limit 
• Delivery: stand up, speak up, don't read to your notes, speak slower than normal conversation, stress key points and sound like you believe what you're saying. 

You are to write two short essays. Each essay is to be on one of the debate topics OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU ARE DEBATING. The essays are not to be major research efforts but you should use all the sources on the course reading list on that topic and at least a couple of sources outside of that list. 

LENGTH: 1500 -1800 words (6 to 7 pages) 

DUE: The day of the debate: 

• Topic 1: January 23
• Topic 2: January 30
• Topic 3: February 13 
• Topic 4: February 27
• Topic 5: March 13
• Topic 6: March 20
• Topic 7: April 3

GRADE: 20% for each paper 

FORMAT:

• In writing your essays be sure to include a topic paragraph and to provide a conclusion or summary at the end of your paper. 
• Beware of being vacuous (i.e., making vague statements) using clichés, or including too many quotes from other authors. 
• Avoid polemics and personal invective. The objective of your essay is to provide political analysis. 
• Remember to keep your essay on the topic assigned. 
• References must be acknowledged in your text where appropriate. Use the citation style for your references, but include in your citation the page numbers from which you derived your ideas or got your information: eg., (Bafflegag 1993, 32-40). Use footnotes only to make substantive comments, not for your references. Be sure that all your references are included in your bibliography. 
• Essays should be written using non-sexist language.
• Be careful that you do not plagiarize. Where sentences and/or phrases from other authors are used they must be set within quotation marks or otherwise set apart to indicate clearly that you are quoting from another work. Failure to indicate that you are quoting from another author constitutes grounds for failing the assignment.

KEEP A COPY OF THE ESSAY YOU HAND IN. IF YOUR ESSAY IS LOST YOU MUST BE ABLE TO PRODUCE A COPY OF IT. 

The following guidelines have been developed to help students avoid writing in ways that may reinforce "questionable attitudes and assumptions about people and sex roles." (American Psychological Association, 1978).

The major problem in sexist language patterns involves the use of male-specific words as generics. (A generic is a term which is supposed to function universally.) There are two subsets of this general problem: one is the use of the "generic" he, the other is the use of 'man' and its compounds.

The "Generic he"

The pronoun 'he' is often used in sentences to (apparently) refer to an unspecified person who may be of either gender. (Example: "The professor is the supreme authority in a class so it is important that he be addressed with appropriate deference.") This is generally considered a sexist usage and should be avoided. The following list suggests some alternative possibilities. 

• Use the plural form and the pronoun they. (Example: "Professors are the supreme authority in their classrooms, so it is important that they be addressed with appropriate deference.") The OED now says it is also appropriate to use they with a singular antecedent. 
• Shift the pronoun from the third to the first person (I or we) or the second person (you). (Example: As a professor, I am the supreme authority in this classroom, so it is important that I be addressed with appropriate deference.) 
• Use he or she, or she or he, if no smoother alternative seems useful. Since this usage can seem awkward you should attempt to avoid repeated use of such combinations. · Alternate feminine and masculine pronouns when appropriate. 
• Edit out personal pronouns when it is stylistically possible. 
• Use one (but not too often).
• Sentences using the passive voice avoid the problem of the "generic he". However, you should keep in mind that the active voice tends to be more forceful and direct and is often preferable. 

For many people the terms man, mankind and the suffix -man no longer function as a generic reference. As a result, their use creates ambiguity and they should be avoided. 

• The term man should be used only to refer to an adult male human being. There are various alternatives to using the term man as a generic reference. The terms "person", "people", and "human being" are good substitutes. 
• Compound words using "man" as a suffix tend to be gender-marked (that is, they seem to refer to men) and should be avoided. Alternatives are almost always easily available. Firefighter for fireman, councilor for alderman, police officer for policeman, and letter carrier for mailman are examples of the ways in which gender-marked compound words can be simply rephrased. 

• In quoting from other people's work, preserve the original words. You may, however, wish to use [sic] to indicate this is original usage. 
• Do not correct appropriately used sex-specific pronouns.

• Attempt to avoid female suffixes (for example. manageress). The term without a suffix is usually equally applicable (for example, managers can be female as well as male). 
• Use names and titles symmetrically. If males are referred to by their last names only, the same should be used for females. If males are given titles, then so should females who also hold such titles - and vice versa. (Example: "The Honourable Sheila Copps and Mr. Allan Rock represented the Government at the ceremony" is inappropriate.) 
• Avoid referring to people by names or titles they would reject. For example, the Chair of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women would reject being called "Mrs." just as the person at the helm of REAL Women would reject being called "Ms." 

Office: AQ-6050
Tel.: 291-4357

This outline was last updated on January 15, 2001 
 
 
 

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