Courses

Dr. David McGrane currently teaches six courses in the Political Studies Department. These courses are generally only offered in the Fall and Winter Semesters. Below you will find a description of each course, when it most recently offered, and course outlines.

Political Studies 111: Democracy in North America

 This course is intended to introduce students to the study of politics through focusing on the theme of “Democracy in North America.” Several key concepts in political studies are discussed such as ideologies, the state, political institutions, electoral systems, societal cleavages, the law, public policy, and the bureaucracy. Specifically, these concepts are examined through a comparison of Canada and the United States to illustrate how these two countries are both different and alike in several ways. It is hoped that students gain an understanding of political studies that will be useful both in their future academic endeavours and in their lives as citizens. This course will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am-9:50am during the Winter 2012 semester. Course Outline.

Political Studies 305: Provincial Politics

This course examines provincial politics in Canada using a comparative approach. The objective of the course is to expose students to each of the major areas of research in Canadian provincial politics. It is hoped that students gain an overall appreciation of the study of provincial politics and find a particular area which is of interest to them for further study. The politics of Saskatchewan is a special focus of the class and considerable time is devoted to exploring Saskatchewan politics and comparing Saskatchewan to other Canadian provinces. This course will be offered on Tuesdays from 1:00pm-3:50pm during the Fall 2011 semester. Course Outline.

Political Studies 337: Canadian Political Thought

While some have questioned whether Canadian political thought even exists, this course illustrates that a distinctive tradition of Canadian political thought reaches back to the late 19th century. The first part of the course examines what could be referred to as Canadian political ideas by studying Canadian politicians and Canadian political parties as political thinkers. The second part of the course explores Canadian political philosophy which was written by Canadian academics and political philosophers. Through reading these works of Canadian political thought, a number of the most important issues in Canadian politics and many integral concepts of political theory are investigated such as the place of Québec in Canada, English Canadian nationalism, equality, freedom, human rights, multiculturalism, the situation of Canada’s Aboriginal people, and the role of gender in politics.  This course will be offered on Fridays from 1:00pm-3:50pm during the Winter 2012 semester. Course Outline.

Political Studies 349: The Public Policy of Multiculturalism in Canada

As Canada becomes an increasingly multiethnic country and demands for the recognition of diversity multiply, the policy of multiculturalism will continue to gain importance within the Canadian polity. This course is intended to introduce students to the study of the practice of multiculturalism in Canada. It examines how the management of ethnic diversity is integrated into Canadian public policy. As such, it explores the relationship between multiculturalism and public policy areas such as immigration, employment equity, anti-racism, the welfare state, and federal-provincial-municipal relations. Further, it attempts to put Canadian multicultural policy within the perspective of nation-building, English Canadian nationalism, Québécois nationalism, Canadian partisan politics, and globalization. This course contains a community service learning component where students can choose to volunteer to teach immigrants and refugees preparing to take their Canadian citizenship test at the Saskatoon Open Door Society.  This course was most recently offered in the Winter of 2010. Course Outline.

Political Studies 404: Issues in Canadian Federalism

Understanding federalism is crucial to comprehending the dynamics of Canadian politics. This course examines the impact of federalism on the Canadian polity through studying such subjects as the Constitution, Québec, First Nations, federal-provincial relations at the executive level, the welfare state, courts, the environment, political economy, and cities. It is illustrated how each of these important elements of Canadian politics are dramatically affected by the operation of our federal system of governance. This course was most recently offered in the Fall of 2009. Course Outline.

Political Studies 405: Political Representation in Canada

The concept of political representation is crucial to contemporary democracy. This class examines the processes and structures of political representation in Canada by focusing on Canadian political parties and social movements. The first two months of the course is dedicated to exploring the ideology and organization of Canadian federal political parties as well as the dynamics and institutions of Canadian federal elections. The last month of the course is devoted to studying several different Canadian social movements such as business associations, unions, ethnocultural groups, First Nations, the women’s movement, gays and lesbians, evangelical Christians, environmentalists, and health care interest groups. This course will be offered in the Fall of 2011 on Thursdays from 1:00pm-3:50pm. Course Outline.