Political Science Politics in Atlantic Canada

Transcription

1 Political Science 4770 Politics in Atlantic Canada Dr. P. G. Boswell Office Hours: Winter 1995 Monday Office: S-2047 Tuesday Thursday COURSE SYLLABUS This course is designed to examine contemporary politics in the Atlantic provinces. In order to set the context, the course will begin with an overview of political and economic development in each of the four Atlantic provinces. The focus will then turn to specific themes, such as political parties, political leadership, electoral behaviour, government structures and operations, and interest groups. Recent issues, such as economic development, regionalism, offshore resources, and the fishery, may also be examined. Texts Forbes, E. R. and D. A. Muise. The Atlantic Provinces in Confederation. Toronto: University of Toronto, In addition, the chapters dealing with the Atlantic Provinces in Rand Dyck, Provincial Politics in Canada (2nd ed.) provide good overviews of each province and will be particularly useful for the first four classes. A copy will be placed on reserve. Readings for the rest of the course will consist of articles, books, and government documents, some of which will be placed on reserve at the library, while others will be available either in Government Documents or in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies. Format The course will consist of lectures and discussions. A list of required and recommended readings is provided for each class. The final exam will be based on these readings and the seminar discussions. Each student will write one major research paper, based on a comparative analysis of provincial policies, and complete a journal of readings and commentary. Evaluation Term paper 30% Journal 30% Final exam 30% Attendance and participation 10%

2 Week Week Week Thu Mon Tue Thu Mon Tue Thu Mon Tue Week 4 Thu Feb 2 Mon 6 Tue 7 Week 5 Thu 9 Mon 13 Tue 14 2 Winter 1995 Schedule 4770 Journal (1) Week 6 Thu 16 Mon 20 Tue Midterm Week 7 Thu 23 Mon Journal(2) Tue 28 Week 8 Thu Mar 2 Mon Essay Tue 7 Week 9 Thu 9 Mon 13 Winter break Tue 14 Winter break Week 10 Thu 16 Lectures resume Mon 20 Tue 21 Week 11 Thu 23 Mon Essay Tue 28 Week 12 Thu 30 Mon Apr Journal(3) Exams: Tue 4 begin Apr 17 end Apr 26 Week 13 Thu 6 Mon 10 Tues 11 Lectures end

3 1. Term Paper 2 Although the term paper will comprise a major research project, the actual paper must be no more than 1500 words (about 5 typed, double-spaced pages) in length. It must be typed, or computer-printed, and must be handed in when due. Handwritten papers will not be accepted. The paper, which is due on March 27th, will require a comparative analysis of provincial policies in a specific subject area. Further details are attached. Late papers will be penalized 5 marks per day and papers more than one week late will not be accepted. No excuses for late papers will be accepted. Essays which do not meet fourth-year university standards of writing will not receive a passing grade. 2. Journal The journal will be a record of your personal reading on Atlantic politics over the course of the semester. You will be expected to read, summarize, and comment on a minimum of 12 books or substantive articles covering post-1949 politics in each of the Atlantic provinces and the region as a whole. Preliminary versions of the journal must be handed in on January 30 and February 27, with the complete journal being due on April 3. While neat, handwritten journals are acceptable, it is preferable that they be typed or done on a word processor. Further details are attached. 3. Final Exam The final exam will cover the entire course and will be scheduled by the registrar in the regular examination period. Questions will be based on required readings and on information provided in lectures and seminar discussions. 4. Attendance and participation Students are expected to attend all classes and to come prepared to discuss the required readings. One-half of the 10 percent grade for this component will be given for attendance: one mark will be deducted for each unjustified absence. The remaining 5 marks will be awarded for pertinent and scholarly participation including demonstrated familiarity with the required readings.

4 3 SEMINAR SCHEDULE NOTE: To get an overview of the four Atlantic provinces, each student should read the following works prior to the first class and should refer to them again as necessary. Boswell, Peter G. "The Atlantic Provinces." In Canadian Politics in the 1990s, Michael S. Whittington and Glen Williams, eds. Scarborough: Nelson, (on reserve) Dyck, Rand. Provincial Politics in Canada, 2nd ed. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall, 1991, pp (on reserve) DATE TOPIC Jan 16 Introduction Jan 23 Overview: Pre-confederation Jan 30 Overview: Feb 6 Overview: Feb 13 Overview: 1950-the present Feb 20 Political cultures and ideology Feb 27 Political structures and institutions Mar 6 Party systems and political leadership Mar 13 *********** Mid-term break *********** Mar 20 Electoral systems and elections Mar 27 Interest groups Apr 3 Economic structures and development Apr 10 Economic and political integration

5 4 SPECIFIC SEMINAR READINGS Jan 23 Pre-confederation Jan Feb Forbes and Muise, pp Forbes and Muise, pp Forbes and Muise, pp Feb the present Forbes and Muise, pp Feb 20 Political cultures and ideology Folder name: Political Culture. Includes the following readings: Adamson, Agar and Ian Stewart. "Party Politics in the Mysterious East." Hugh G. Thorburn, ed. Party Politics in Canada. 5th ed. Toronto: Prentice- Hall, 1985: Bellamy, David J. "The Atlantic Provinces." The Provincial Political Systems. David Bellamy, Jon H. Pammett and Donald C. Rowat, eds. Toronto: Methuen, 1976: Brym, Robert J. "Political Conservatism in Atlantic Canada." Robert J. Brym and R. James Sacouman, eds. Underdevelopment and Social Movements in Atlantic Canada. Toronto: New Hogtown Press, 1979: Savoie, Donald J. "The Atlantic Region: the Politics of Dependency." R. D. Oiling and M. W. Westmacott, eds. Perspectives on Canadian Federalism. Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1988: Simeon, Richard and David J. Elkins. "Provincial Political Cultures in Canada." Small Worlds: Provinces and Parties in Canadian Political Life. David Elkins and Richard Simeon. Toronto: Methuen, 1980:

6 5 Feb 27 Political structures and institutions Folder name: Political Structures. Includes the following readings: Adamson, Agar. "Nova Scotia: The wisdom of their ancestors in its foundation." Provincial and Territorial Legislatures in Canada. Gary Levy and Graham White, eds. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1989: McCorquodale, Susan. "Newfoundland: Personality, Party, and Politics." Provincial and Territorial Legislatures in Canada. Gary Levy and Graham White, eds. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1989: Peterson, David L. E. "New Brunswick: A bilingual assembly for a bilingual province." Provincial and Territorial Legislatures in Canada. Gary Levy and Graham White, eds. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1989: Stewart, Ian. "Prince Edward Island: 'A damned queer parliament'." Provincial and Territorial Legislatures in Canada. Gary Levy and Graham White, eds. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1989: Mar 6 Party systems and political leadership Folder name: Parties and Leaders. Includes the following readings: Adamson, Agar and Ian Stewart. "Party Politics in the Mysterious East." Party Politics in Canada. Ed. Hugh G. Thorburn. 5th ed. Toronto: Prentice- Hall, 1985: Elkins, David. "The Structure of Provincial Party Systems." Small Worlds: Provinces and Parties in Canadian Political Life. David Elkins and Richard Simeon. Toronto: Methuen, 1980: Graesser, Mark. "Leadership Crises in an Opposition Party: The Liberal Party of Newfoundland." Leaders and Parties in Canadian Politics: Experiences of the Provinces. Eds. R. Kenneth Carty, Lynda Erickson, and Donald E. Blake. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992:

7 6 McCormick, Peter. "Provincial Political Party Systems, " Canadian Parties in Transition: Discourse, Organization, and Representation. Eds. Alain G. Gagnon and A Brian Tanguay. Toronto: Nelson, 1989: Stewart, David K. "'Friends and Neighbours': Patterns of Delegate Support at Maritime Liberal and Conservative Conventions." Leaders and Parties in Canadian Politics: Experiences of the Provinces. Eds. R. Kenneth Carty, Lynda Erickson, and Donald E. Blake. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992: Mar 13 *********** Mid-term break *********** Mar 20 Electoral systems and elections Folder name: Elections. Includes the following readings: Adamson, Agar and Ian Stewart. "Party Politics in Atlantic Canada: Still the Mysterious East?" Hugh G. Thorburn, ed. Party Politics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1991: Kornberg, Allan, William Mishler, and Harold D. Clark. Representative Democracy in the Canadian Provinces. Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1982: (Chapter 4 "Participation and Elections"). Re-read: Boswell, Peter G. "The Atlantic Provinces." In Canadian Politics in the 1990s, Michael S. Whittington and Glen Williams, eds. Scarborough: Nelson, (on reserve) Dyck, Rand. Provincial Politics in Canada, 2nd ed. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall, 1991, pp (on reserve)

8 Mar 27 Interest groups 7 Folder name: Interest Groups. Includes the following readings: Burge, Marie. "The Political Education of Bud the Spud: Producers and Plebiscites on Prince Edward Island." People, Resources, and Power: Critical perspectives on underdevelopment and primary industries in the Atlantic region. Gary Burrill and Ian McKay, eds. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, Murphy, Tom. "Potato Capitalism: McCain and Industrial Farming in New Brunswick." People, Resources, and Power: Critical perspectives on underdevelopment and primary industries in the Atlantic region. Gary Burrill and Ian McKay, eds. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, McMahon, Julia. "The New Forest in Nova Scotia." People, Resources, and Power: Critical perspectives on underdevelopment and primary industries in the Atlantic region. Gary Burrill and Ian McKay, eds. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, O'Donnell, Eleanor. "Leading the Way: An Unauthorized Guide to the Sobey's Empire. People, Resources, and Power: Critical perspectives on underdevelopment and primary industries in the Atlantic region. Gary Burrill and Ian McKay, eds. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, Story, Alan. "Old Wounds: Reopening the Mines of St. Lawrence." People, Resources, and Power: Critical perspectives on underdevelopment and primary industries in the Atlantic region. Gary Burrill and Ian McKay, eds. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, Williams, Rick. "The Restructuring That Wasn't: The Scandal at National Sea." People, Resources, and Power: Critical perspectives on underdevelopment and primary industries in the Atlantic region. Gary Burrill and Ian McKay, eds. Fredericton: Acadiensis Press, In addition, please read: Pross, Paul. "Pressure Groups: Talking Chamelons." Canadian Politics in the 1990s, Michael S. Whittington and Glen Williams, eds. Scarborough: Nelson, (on reserve).

9 and reread the relevant sections in: 8 Dyck, Rand. Provincial Politics in Canada, 2nd ed. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall, 1986, pp (on reserve). Apr 3 Economic structures and development Folder name: Economic Development. Includes the following readings: Veltmeyer, Henry. "The Capitalist Underdevelopment of Atlantic Canada." Underdevelopment and Social Movements in Atlantic Canada. Robert J. Brym and R. James Sacouman, eds. Toronto: New Hogtown Press, 1979: Overton, James. "Small is Beautiful and the Crisis in Newfoundland." Restructuring and Resistance: Perspectives from Atlantic Canada. Bryant Fairley, Colin Leys, and James Sacouman, eds. Toronto: Garamond Press, 1990: In addition, please read: Savoie, Donald J. Regional Economic Development: Canada's Search for Solutions. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1986: 3-18, 44-60, , and (on reserve). and reread the relevant sections in: Dyck, Rand. Provincial Politics in Canada, 2nd ed. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall, 1991: pp (on reserve). Apr 10 Economic and Political Integration Folder name: Integration. Includes the following readings: Tomblin, Stephen G. "Unity and Diversity in Atlantic Canada and the Ongoing Battle Over Boundaries." unpublished paper, Other readings may be announced.

10 Political Science 4770 Winter 1995 TOPIC: Term Paper Write a comparative analysis of Atlantic provincial policies in any subject area. You may focus on a general area (such as provincial taxation, resource policy, or social services) or on specific aspects (such as provincial sales tax, mining royalties, or taxi usage policy for social service recipients). LENGTH: The paper itself should consist of no more than 1500 words (about 5 typed, double-spaced pages). Longer papers will be subject to a reduction in grade. Since the length is limited, make sure that every word counts. Struck and White's Elements of Style is highly recommended. Content endnotes are encouraged. FOCUS: This is to be considered a major research paper. It will therefore require considerable research in contemporary newspapers, journals, government reports, and any other sources you can discover. Be sure that you will have sufficient research material before committing yourself to a specific issue area. The paper should not focus on the policy of one particular province, but should provide a balanced assessment of policies in all four Atlantic provinces. The best papers will also have a specific argument or thesis. FORMAT: The paper must be typed or computer-generated, must be fully documented, and must contain a complete list of works cited. Essays which do not meet fourth-year university standards of writing will not receive a passing grade. Please see the attached "Notes on proper documentation" for information on required footnote style. DUE DATE: The paper is due March 27th. Late papers will be penalized 5 marks per day and papers more than one week late will not be accepted. No excuses for late papers will be accepted. You are encouraged to get started on this project as soon as possible, since you may have to contact other provinces for information. Non-receipt of information will not be accepted as an excuse for late or incomplete papers.

11 2 Notes on Proper Documentation A good political science paper contains a logical argument built on solid evidence. While the evidence may be that of first-hand observation and study, evidence for most student papers will come from books, journals, newspapers, and government documents. Documentation in the form of footnotes must be provided for all facts, ideas, or interpretations which are not considered to be common knowledge. An acceptable rule of thumb for determining whether an item is one of common knowledge would be if the information is readily available in a number of different sources. An example may help. It is common knowledge that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a black civil rights activist who was jailed in Alabama for leading a march against segregation in the early 1960s. No footnote would be required for such a fact. A footnote would, however, be required for a statement such as: Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed disappointment that southern religious leaders urged people to comply with desegregation not because it was morally right but because it was the law. In the latter case, the reader might want to check that Rev. King actually did express those views. A good guideline to follow is to ask yourself where your understanding of the thoughts, beliefs, or ideas of an individual or a group came from. If you don't know, are you sure that your understanding is accurate? If it isn't, then don't use it. If you do know, then state the source. A common misperception is that footnotes only have to be given for direct quotations. This is not correct: footnotes must be provided in all cases where an idea, belief, action, or thought is attributed to an individual or group. A footnote would be required for the following quotation from page 14 of the province's Strategic Economic Plan. "The private sector must be the engine of growth. While it is the role of government to create an economic and social environment that promotes competitiveness, it is the enterprising spirit of the private sector that will stimulate lasting economic growth." A footnote would also be required for the following statement. "The Strategic Economic Plan argues that the private sector must be the basis of economic growth in the province." Similarly, a footnote must be provided whenever you "borrow" a particular idea, interpretation, or argument from a known source.

12 Each academic discipline has its own rules about what format or style of footnoting is acceptable. Examples of the correct style can be found in the leading journals of the discipline. Canadian political science uses a traditional form of documentation based on the Chicago Manual of Stvle. Often referred to as "the footnote system," examples of this style can be found in all standard style guides and in most Canadian political science textbooks. A Canadian Writer's Reference summarizes the procedure in the following way. A raised arabic numeral in the text indicates that a quotation, paraphrase, or summary has been borrowed from a source; to find the publishing information for that source, readers consult the footnote or endnote with the corresponding number. Not ' s are numbered consecutively throughout the paper. Footnotes may be placed either at the bottom of each page or at the end of the paper, whichever is more convenient. The first time a source is cited in a paper, full publication details must be provided as in the following examples. Richard Hofstetter, Bias in the News (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1976), Murray Rankin and Peter Finkle, "The Enforcement of Environmental Law: Taking the Environment Seriously," University of British Columbia Law Review 17 (1983), Claude Jean Galipeau, "National Minorities, Rights and Signs: The Supreme Court and Language Legislation in Quebec," in Alain-G. Gagnon and A. Brian Tanguay, eds., Democracy with Justice (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1992), The Globe and Mail (National Edition), September 24, 1992, A5. 5 Statistics Canada, Adult Literacy in Canada: Results of National Study (Ottawa: Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, 1991), Diana Hacker, A Canadian Writer's Reference (Scarborough: Nelson Canada, 1990), 190.

13 4 Subsequent references to each of the above works would need only to include the author's name and the page number. I Hofstetter, Rankin and Finkle, Galipeau, The Globe and Mail, July 25, 1994, A3. 5 Statistics Canada, 21. If there is any possibility of misunderstanding, such as where more than one work by the same author may be cited, a short title should also be provided in subsequent citations. Note that in all cases, however, page numbers must be given. If you are in doubt about the correct form for any footnote, just follow the style of any article in the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Public Administration, or the course text. Although in text citations, such as those used in the APA or MLA style, may be required or recommended for other courses in the university, they are not acceptable for this course. Traditional footnote style must be used, although minor variations in form are acceptable, such as the use of "p." before a page number.

14 Political Science 4770 Winter 1995 Journal The journal will be a record of your personal reading on post-1949 Atlantic politics over the course of the semester. It will combine a summary of the material read, with particular attention paid to important or especially relevant sections, and an outline of your thoughts on the various aspects and their linkages to other related readings. The total of 12 readings must include at least two books or substantive articles on politics in each of the four Atlantic provinces and at least two books or substantive articles on the region as a whole. The remaining readings may be from any of the provinces or the region. "Substantive article" means one from an academic journal, conference proceedings, or a chapter in an edited book of readings, not an article from a popular magazine or newspaper. Although not essential, it would be helpful to arrange your readings around a general topic area -- one different, of course, from the subject of your term paper. Preliminary versions of the journal must be handed in on January 30 and February 27, with the complete journal being due on April 3. While neat, handwritten journals are acceptable, it is strongly advised that they be done on a word processor. There are a number of acceptable ways in which the journal might be kept, but all must contain the following elements. 1. Complete bibliographical information in the CPSA style. 2. Overall summary of the reading (no more than 1 singlespaced, typed page). 3. Notes about particularly interesting or important sections. 4. Your own comments on these sections, linked (if possible) to other readings. (This is where using a word processor will pay off!) One suggestion is to use columns for the specific notes and your comments. A suggested format might look something like the following:

15 Bibliographic details Hoy, Claire. Clyde Wells: A Political Biography. Toronto: Stoddart, Summary Biography of Clyde Wells, Liberal premier of Newfoundland from 1989 to the present. Hoy traces Wells' life from early upbringing in Stephenville Crossing to the early years of his first government in Author argues throughout that Wells has ambitions to be prime minister and has arranged his life accordingly... Point of Interest p Notes that nobody can raise "Clyde's Irk" better than Lynn Verge. pp Beginning of the current health care facilities contract problems which Wells claimed were not based on patronage. Personal Reflections Interesting point, particularly in view of the forthcoming PC leadership race. I wonder if other Atlantic premiers have a similar nemesis. Be interesting to see how this all comes out in court. Might be compared to patronage scandals in Nova Scotia during the Buchanan years.

16 The journal exercise should not be seen as a series of glorified book reviews, but as convincing evidence that you have read and thought about some literature on the Atlantic provinces. What is desired is evidence of a mind in action. You will be graded on a combination of the breadth and depth of your reading; focus of analysis; wisdom, imagination, and keenness of your observations; completeness of the exercise; and neatness of the presentation.