AS/POLS 4903 3.0 Winter 2009
CANADIAN DEMOCRACY IN A NORTH AMERICAN
CONTEXT CAPSTONE
Course Director:
FIRST ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
The first essay is due March 31,
April 7 or April 14. The essays topics are based on the assigned readings
for a given week of the course. The essays must be handed in at the start of
the class in which those readings are to be discussed.
The essay should be 5-7 double-spaced pages
long plus title page and references. You must properly cite your sources.
ESSAY
TOPICS
March
31 - Origins of
Did Canadian Confederation result in a
liberal democracy? Examine the different interpretations offered by Ajzenstat,
Russell, Smith and Whitaker.
April
7 - Historic Struggles to Deepen and Broaden Democracy
Compare the prairie populism of the first
half of the twentieth century with the right-wing populism of the late
twentieth century. What are the similarities and differences in terms of their
critique of democracy in
April
14 - Reaction: Right-Wing Populism and Neoliberalism
Have neoliberalism and capitalist
restructuring eroded