1. The Canadian Constitution
This section covers the origins and evolution of the Canadian Constitution, the formal executive, the monarchy and Governor General, the structure of the judiciary, federal and provincial legislative authority, the 1982 patriation of Canada’s Constitution and key post-1982 events and challenges such as the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, the 1995 Quebec secession referendum, the Clarity Act, and Indigenous self-government.
2. Federalism
This section examines and evaluates concepts of Canadian federalism. The major challenges to federalism are examined in terms of dualism (French/English), Quebec nationalism, Indigenous sovereignty, and the regional dynamics that influence the legislative authority of both federal and provincial governments.
3. The Prime Minister, Ministry, and Cabinet
This section explores the roles and powers of the political executive, with particular emphasis on the prime minister and Cabinet ministers, and discusses the roles of Cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations. It examines policy formulation at the executive level, with reference to major coordinating agencies such the Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council Office.
4. Legislative Politics
This section assesses the structure and roles of the Canadian parliament, with reference to the governing and opposition parties, parliamentary processes, the committee system, and the roles and diversity of elected members of Parliament and appointed members of the Senate.
5. The Bureaucracy
This section explores the basic structure and role of the civil service, with particular emphasis placed on the role the civil service plays in terms of the development and implementation of public policy.
6. Electoral system, elections, and political parties
This section examines the formal and legal aspects of the electoral system, including redrawing the electoral map; the organization of elections; the lack of proportionality in the electoral system; suggestions for electoral reform; and party and election finance. It also examines the evolution of political parties and interpretations of the party system, party ideology, and party organization. It explores election campaigns and the role of political parties, leaders, candidates, the media and social media, and opinions polls along with the national and local campaigns, voting and other forms of political participation.
7. Advocacy groups, social movements, and lobbying
This section identifies the leading advocacy groups and social movements in Canada and outlines their targets and methods of operation. It examines the activities of professional lobbying firms who work with advocacy groups to influence government activities.
Instructor presentation of the course will involve the use of formal lectures, structured group work, in-class discussion, and student presentations or formal debates. Additional readings may be assigned for each course unit and placed on library reserve or via selected websites. Audio-visual and interactive materials may be used.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course.
Example evaluation scheme:
Mid-term exam 25%
Participation 10%
Presentation 10%
Research essay 30%
Final exam 25%
Total: 100%
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:
Bickerton, James and Alain-G. Gagnon. eds., Canadian Politics. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Current edition.
Brooks, Stephen. Canadian Democracy: An Introduction. Current edition.
Borrows, John. Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Current edition.
Cochrane, Chris, Kelly Blidook, and Rand Dyck. Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches. Toronto: Nelson. Current edition.
Malcolmson, Patrick and Richard Myers. The Canadian Regime: An Introduction to Parliamentary Government in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Current Edition.
No prerequisite courses.
No corequisite courses.
No equivalent courses.
Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca
| Institution | Transfer Details for POLI 1102 |
|---|---|
| Athabasca University (AU) | AU POLI 2XX (3) |
| Camosun College (CAMO) | CAMO PSC 104 (3) |
| Capilano University (CAPU) | CAPU POL 104 (3) |
| College of the Rockies (COTR) | COTR POLI 203 (3) |
| Coquitlam College (COQU) | COQU POLI 101 (3) |
| Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) | KPU POLI 1120 (3) |
| Langara College (LANG) | LANG POLI 1119 (3) |
| Okanagan College (OC) | OC POLI 111 (3) |
| Simon Fraser University (SFU) | SFU POL 221 (3) |
| Thompson Rivers University (TRU) | TRU POLI 1110 (3) |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU POLS 1XX (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) | UBCO POLI_O 101 (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) | UBCV POLI_V 101 (3) |
| University of Northern BC (UNBC) | UNBC POLS 1XX (3) |
| University of Northern BC (UNBC) | DOUG POLI 1102 (3) & DOUG POLI 2202 (3) = UNBC POLS 200 (3) & UNBC POLS 2XX (3) |
| University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) | UFV POSC 110 (3) |
| University of Victoria (UVIC) | UVIC POLI 201 (1.5) |
| Vancouver Island University (VIU) | VIU POLI 221 (3) |