HIST 3306A: Canada’s International Policies
Fall 2022
Instructor: Professor Norman Hillmer
Canada’s International Policies examines the country’s international history, concentrating on the period from 1896 to the present. As a country of immigrants with indelible links to the world, and very powerful ties to the United States and Great Britain, Canadians have always reached beyond their country and themselves for inspiration, security, and self-definition. Our project will be to gain a knowledge of the major impulses and turning points in 125 years of external relationships and international policies; an understanding of the impact of the British Empire and of the United States on the Canadian experience; a sense of the role of alliances, and of internationalism and international institutions, in government policy and national discourses; a familiarity with the debates (traditional and contemporary) about national power, pivoting around the country’s autonomy/independence in the world and the constraints that limit its international manoeuvrability, influence, and importance; an awareness of how the world wars and the Cold War, immigration, defence, the environment, and gender link to the study of Canadian foreign policies and perspectives; an appreciation of the meaning and significance of national values, interests, and identity as they relate to Canada’s international policies; and an insight into the world we now inhabit.
Students will be trained to research, write, and edit a professionally executed briefing note. The briefing note assignment asks students to develop and defend practical policy options and recommendations in an academic, policy-relevant, historical environment. Since briefing notes are frequently used in government, business, and research institutions, this assignment develops and strengthens skills as well as providing experience that is relevant to career development. The essays qualify for the Hanson Prize, a major History Department award for essays in Canadian foreign policy. Members of 3306 are often winners of the Hanson.
In previous years, the briefing note and a final examination have each been worth fifty percent of the final grade.
For further information, please contact Professor Hillmer at norman.hillmer@carleton.ca.