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POLI 277 Course website

Political Science (POLI) 309
Canadian Government and Politics (Revision 5)

Revision 5 closed, replaced by current version.

View previous syllabus

Delivery mode: Individualized study with video component* or grouped study.
*Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component.

Credits: 3 - Social Science

Prerequisite: None.

Precluded course: POLI 309 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained in POLI 260.

Centre: Centre for State and Legal Studies

POLI 309 has a Challenge for Credit option.

Course website

Overview

POLI 309 provides an introduction to the basic structures and processes of government and politics in Canada and will help the student describe, explain, analyse, and assess contemporary issues and events in Canada.

Outline

Part 1: Introduction

  • Unit 1: Studying Canadian Government and Politics
  • Unit 2: Setting the Context: Governing in a Global World

Part 2: Governing

  • Unit 3: The Constitutional Context
  • Unit 4: The Parliamentary System
  • Unit 5: The Executive
  • Unit 6: The Bureaucracy
  • Unit 7: The Judiciary

Part 3: Linking People to Government

  • Unit 8: Political Parties and Interest Groups
  • Unit 9: Elections and the Electoral System

Part 4: The Societal Context

  • Unit 10: Regional, Economic, and Class Cleavages
  • Unit 11: French Canada and the Quebec Question
  • Unit 12: Aboriginal Peoples
  • Unit 13: Gender, Multiculturalism, and Representation
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Evaluation

To receive credit for POLI 309, you must complete the following assignments. You must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent) and a grade of “D” (50 percent) or better on the final examination. The weighting of the assignments is as follows:

Assign 1 Assign 2 Assign 3 Assign 4 Final Exam Total
10% 15% 15% 25% 35% 100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbooks

Charlton, Mark, and Paul Barker, eds. 2002. Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues. 4th ed. Scarborough, ON: Nelson.

Dyck, Rand. 2004. Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches. 4th ed. Scarborough, ON: Nelson.

McMenemy, John. 2001. The Language of Canadian Politics: A Guide to Important Terms and Concepts. 3rd ed. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Simpson, Jeffrey. 2002. The Friendly Dictatorship. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.

Other Materials

The course materials include a study guide, student manual, and a assignment booklet.

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