!!York!University!!
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AP!POLS!2910!6.0:!
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!!!!!!!!!!!Fall!2013!–!Winter!2014!
Canadian!!
Democracy!!
in!a!!
North!!
American!!
Context!
Section!B!
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“North!American!Tapestry!of!Time!and!Terrain”!!
Source:!US!Geological!Survey!2005!
Teaching)Team:)
Professor:!Dennis!Pilon!
Teaching!Assistants:!Jelena!Vesic,!Nicole!Bernhardt!
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Lecture)Time)and)Location)
Section!B:!Thursdays,!1030!am!Q!1220!pm,!Vari!Hall!B!
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Required)Textbooks)
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Rand)Dyck!and!Christoper!Cochrane)
Canadian!Politics:!Critical!Approaches,!7th!Edition!
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!Les!Samuelson!and!Wayne!Antony!(eds.)!
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Power!and!Resistance,!5th!Edition!
Course!Information!
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Course)Description)
Who!are!the!people!that!exercise!political!power!in!Canada?!!Where!and!how!are!the!
political!and!governing!decisions!made!that!may!affect!us!all!in!our!daily!lives?!!What!
kinds!of!issues!are!deemed!‘political’!and!how!has!this!changed!over!time?!!This!
course!will!introduce!students!to!the!people!and!processes,!both!formal!and!
informal,!that!influence!and/or!directly!make!such!decisions.!!But!more!importantly,!
we!will!explore!the!debates!about!why!certain!decisions!get!made,!how!they!are!
advanced!or!opposed,!and!who!benefits!and!who!may!suffer!from!them.!!The!course!
aims!to!equip!students!with!the!basic!political!vocabulary!to!be!an!engaged!citizen!in!
Canada!and!explore!concrete!ways!of!acting!politically.!
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Course)Requirements)
Library!Assignment! !
P/F! !
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Due!in!class!Oct!3!
Critical!Essay! !
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15%! !
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Due!in!class!Nov!7!
Midterm!Test!!
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15%! !
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Scheduled!Dec!5!in!class!
Research!Essay!
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25%! !
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Due!in!class!March!6!
Final!Exam! !
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25%! !
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Scheduled!in!exam!period!
Participation! !
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20%!
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Course)Readings)
The!course!has!two!required!textbooks:!Rand!Dyck!and!Chistopher!Cochrane’s!
Canadian!Politics:!Critical!Approaches,!7th!Edition,!and!Les!Samuelson!and!Wayne!
Antony’s!Power!and!Resistance,!5th!Edition.!!There!are!other!editions!of!these!texts!
but!you!will!be!tested!on!the!materials!in!these!editions.)
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Tutorial)Times)and)Locations!
TUTR!01!
R!
8:30! ACE!!006!
TUTR!02!
R!
8:30! MC!!211!
TUTR!03!
R!
9:30! MC!!211!
TUTR!04!
R!
9:30! ACE!!010!
TUTR!05!
R!
13:30! ACW!!209!
TUTR!06!
R!
13:30! MC!!211!
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Lecture/Reading!Schedule!
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Fall)
September!12:!!Introduction! !
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September!19:!What!is!politics?!
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September!26:!!The!state! !
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October!3:!Who!are!‘the!people’?! !
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October!10:!Talking!about!politics:!media! !
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October!17:!Elections!!
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October!24:!Political!parties! !
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October!31:!CoQcurricular!week!–!no!classes!
November!7:!Influence!
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November!14:!Parliament!and!the!Prime!Minister! !
November!21:!Bureaucracy!and!policy!
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November!28:!Constitutions,!the!Charter!and!the!courts!
December!5:!Midterm!exam!
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Spring)
January!9:!Federalisms!compared! !
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January!16:!Three!R’s:!region,!religion,!rural!
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January!23:!Globalization!and!the!economy!
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January!30:!Class!
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February!6:!Aboriginal!peoples!
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February!13:!French!Canada!and!Quebec! !
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February!20:!Reading!week!–!no!classes!
February!27:!!Gender!!
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March!6:!Diversity! !
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March!13:!Issues!–!environment!
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March!20:!Issues!–!food!
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March!27:!Issues!–!crime!
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April!3:!Final!exam!review!
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DC!1;!SA!1!
DC2;!SA2!
DC!11;!SA!10!
DC!12;!SA!13!
DC!13,!15!
DC!14!
DC!16;!SA!15!
DC!21,!23!
DC!20,!22!
DC!17,!19,!24!
DC!18;!SA!14!
DC!3,!9!
DC!10;!SA!6!
DC!8;!SA!5!
DC!4;!SA!7!
DC!5!
DC!7,!SA!4!
DC!6,!SA!8!
SA!12!
SA!9,!11!
SA!3,!16!
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Course!Assignments!and!Evaluation!
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Library)Assignment)
This!assignment!is!designed!to!increase!students’!familiarity!with!the!library!and!
where!they!can!find!appropriate!academic!sources!for!their!research!paper.!!The!
assignment!will!be!judged!on!a!pass/fail!basis!and!must!be!completed!to!get!credit!
for!the!course.!!A!handout!with!detailed!instructions!will!be!posted!on!the!course!
website!and!reviewed!in!lecture.!
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Critical)Reading)Paper)
This!short!paper!assignment!will!help!develop!students’!critical!reading!strategies!of!
academic!articles.!!They!will!learn!to!break!down!academic!writing!and!identify!the!
main!argument!or!thesis,!any!subordinate!or!sustaining!arguments,!the!theory!being!
utilized,!as!well!as!assess!the!evidence!used!to!support!the!claims!being!made.!A!
handout!with!detailed!instructions!will!be!posted!on!the!course!website!and!
reviewed!in!lecture.!
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Research)Essay)
In!the!research!essay!students!will!be!expected!to!critically!engage!different!views!on!
an!important!issue!concerning!Canadian!politics,!and!develop!their!own!argument!
through!an!informed!and!balanced!analysis!of!the!existing!debate!on!the!subject.!!
The!essay!must!begin!with!a!clear!thesis!statement!and!contain!proper!citations!of!
the!sources!used.!!!Students!should!rely!extensively!on!scholarly!sources!like!journal!
articles!and!academic!books,!and!use!more!popular!sources!like!newspapers,!
magazines!and!nonQacademic!internet!sources!very!sparingly.!!A!list!of!potential!
topics!will!be!made!available!at!the!beginning!of!the!winter!term.!!Essay!writing!and!
research!techniques!will!be!covered!in!tutorials!and!handouts!will!be!provided.!!A!
handout!with!detailed!instructions!will!be!posted!on!the!course!website!and!
reviewed!in!lecture.!
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Midterm)and)Final)Exams)
A!midQterm!and!a!final!exam!will!test!students'!recall!and!comprehension!of!key!
concepts,!institutions,!processes,!historical!events,!political!movements!and!
individuals.!!Exams!will!be!divided!between!short!answer!questions!that!ask!students!
to!identify!and!explain!the!significance!of!a!particular!term,!and!longer!essay!
questions!where!students!must!sketch!out!larger!debates.!!!
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Tutorial)Participation)
Attendance!at!weekly!tutorial!sessions!is!mandatory.!!Tutorial!participation!will!be!
assessed!through!a!combination!of!three!factors:!attendance,!willingness!to!
participate,!and!the!degree!of!preparation!exhibited!for!inQclass!work.!!Showing!up!
consistently!but!saying!nothing!will!not!lead!to!a!good!tutorial!grade.!!Talking!all!the!
time!but!demonstrating!little!knowledge!of!the!assigned!readings!will!not!do!much!
better.
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Course!Policies!
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Academic)Integrity)
The!university!takes!very!seriously!infractions!of!academic!integrity,!including!
plagiarism,!impersonation,!and!cheating!on!exams.!!York’s!policies!on!plagiarism!are!
reviewed!in!detail!on!the!last!page!of!this!outline!and!can!also!be!found!in!electronic!
form!here:!http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/.!!Students!who!are!in!
doubt!as!to!what!constitutes!plagiarism!in!a!particular!instance!should!consult!with!!
their!TA!or!the!professors.!!For!additional!insight!on!the!issue,!see!Margaret!Proctor’s!
“How!Not!to!Plagiarize,”!available!at!http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/usingQ
sources/howQnotQtoQplagiarize.!!
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Electronic)Devices)
The!use!of!electronic!devices!–!i.e.!cell!phones,!laptop!computers,!cameras,!etc.!–!is!
not!permitted!in!lectures!and!tutorials.!!While!convenient,!such!devices!can!be!
distracting!and!impair!the!learning!environment!not!just!for!the!immediate!user!but!
for!all!those!around!them.!!While!some!students!simply!takes!notes!on!a!computer!or!
other!devices,!experience!over!the!past!decade!has!demonstrated!that!many!
students!are!texting,!updating!and!responding!to!Facebook,!watching!video,!etc.!
during!the!lecture!and!tutorials.!!As!every!student!must!commit!to!giving!the!course!
and!its!material!their!total!attention!during!lectures!and!tutorials,!the!use!of!
electronic!devices!is!not!allowed.!
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Late)Assignments)
The!writing!assignments!must!be!handed!in!on!the!date!specified!in!this!outline.!!
Failure!to!turn!in!an!essay!on!time!will!result!in!a!penalty!of!2!percentage!points!for!
each!day!or!partial!day!it!is!late.!!Only!documented!medical!or!family!emergencies!will!
be!exempt!from!late!penalties.!!In!addition,!students!should!always!keep!a!copy!of!
any!work!that!is!handed!in,!at!least!until!it!is!graded!and!returned.!!Assignments!are!
to!be!handed!in!lecture.!!Under!no!circumstances!should!essays!be!slipped!under!
office!doors.!
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Special)Needs)
Students!may!have!special!needs!that!require!personal!and/or!technological!
assistance,!or!some!flexibility!in!attending!lectures,!tutorials,!and!exams,!or!in!
meeting!assignment!deadlines.!!Students!with!special!needs!should!make!them!
known!in!the!first!week!of!classes,!both!to!the!appropriate!office!of!the!university!
and!the!teaching!team,!and!supply!all!the!necessary!documentation.!For!more!
information,!visit!Counselling!and!Disability!Services:!http://www.yorku.ca/cds/.!
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Contact)
Both!the!professor!and!TAs!will!hold!regular!office!hours!to!deal!with!any!questions!
or!concerns!that!students!may!wish!to!explore!in!detail.!!Specific!office!hours!and!
locations!for!both!can!be!found!on!the!course!webpage.!!Email!contact!with!
professors!or!TAs!should!only!be!used!to!arrange!special!appointments!(i.e.!outside!
of!regular!office!hours)!or!to!alert!the!teaching!team!about!an!urgent!matter.!!
Students!should!allow!for!a!48!hour!turnaround!time!on!email!queries.!
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Professor!contact!info:!
Dennis!Pilon:!S638!Ross!/!416Q736Q2100,!ext!88832!/!dpilon@yorku.ca!
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Grading)Scale)
From)Percentage) To)Letter)Grade) Grade)Point)
90Q100!
A+!
9!
80Q89!
A!
8!
75Q79!
B+!
7!
70Q74!
B!
6!
65Q69!
C+!
5!
60Q64!
C!
4!
55Q59!
D+!
3!
50Q54!
D!
2!
40Q49!
E!
1!
0Q39!
F!
0!
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Community)
Become!a!member!of!York’s!Political!Science!community!by!joining!Political!Science!
Department’s!email!list!and!the!Undergraduate!Political!Science!Council!(UPSC).!!!
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The!email!list!will!help!you!learn!more!about!job!opportunities,!special!events,!career!
information!and!scholarships!and!awards!relating!to!political!science!studies.!
Subscribe!to!our!departmental!EQmail!list!by!going!to!
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/pols/resources.html!and!follow!the!steps.!
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The!UPSC!will!connect!you!with!other!students!majoring!in!political!science!for!social!
and!academic!events.!!Visit!the!UPSC!at:!http://www.yorku.ca/upsc/index.htm!
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