Centre for Canadian Studies

Welcome to the Centre for Canadian Studies. We offer a unique opportunity to study Canadian culture and society from a variety of perspectives. Students have the option to take courses that reflect on Canada from disciplines such as History, English Language and Literature, Modern Languages, Geography, Popular Culture and Film, Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, Political Science, Sociology and Economics, among others. Undergraduates are also required to take core interdisciplinary courses offered by the Canadian Studies program itself. All of these courses are designed to familiarize students with the unique nature of the Canadian experience.

Canadian Studies Undergraduate Program

Year 1: In CANA 1F91, students learn to understand Canada as it is represented by Canadians in different historical eras and in different regions and communities. The goal of the course is to describe ‘when, where and what Canada is’ through critical analysis of Canadians’ self-perception in different regions, time periods and social contexts.

Year 2: In CANA 2P91 and CANA 2P92, students learn about the different cultural groups, social institutions, state structures and relations of power that form Canada. The goal of the course is to discover ‘who Canadians are’ through discussion of scholarly research in Canadian Studies and comparative analysis of literature, media and the arts, among other sources.

Year 3: In CANA 3P15 and CANA 3P95, students learn to recognize Canada as is it situated within global perspectives. CANA 3P15 surveys representations of Canada created by non-Canadians at different historical moments, whereas CANA 3P95 explores how Canadians have understood their place in the world at different points in time. Students expand upon their knowledge of internal dynamics of Canadian culture and society through a broader comprehension of external forces acting upon the nation.

Year 4: In CANA 4P00 students learn to apply theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches studied in the first three years by undertaking their own directed research project and in CANA 4P90 they participate in a unique binational Honours/Graduate seminar with Canadian Studies students at the University at Buffalo. The Honours program allows students to actively connect the skills and ideas acquired within their other major discipline to themes and approaches in Canadian Studies by designing and conducting advanced research on a topic of their choice. 

The Centre for Canadian Studies at Brock University sponsors a leading forum for the discussion of issues relating to Canadian culture and society during the annual Two Days of Canada Conference. Held annually, the conference attracts academics, activists, undergraduate and graduate students as well as promoting awareness of the Canadian experience in the community at large. Students at all levels are actively involved in the conference and some even present their own work. 

The Centre for Canadian Studies is a dynamic group of scholars and students committed to exploring Canadian realities. Come join us!