Language matters: The study of Canadian politics through an exploration of syllabi and comprehensive exams

Jean François Daoust*, Alain-G. Gagnon, Thomas Galipeau

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The representation of Canada's two main linguistic groups in the teaching of Canadian politics is crucial, but we know little about it. In this article, we analyze the systemic underrepresentation of francophone authors in Canadian political science by examining the research that students are exposed to. Based on data from 351 syllabi across 42 Canadian universities, as well as data from the reading list of the doctoral qualifying field exams in Canadian politics, our findings show that francophone authors are systemically underrepresented (when not totally absent). About 38 per cent of Canadian politics courses include no francophone authors in their reading lists. Our findings suggest that Canadian politics is not an inclusive and comprehensive field. This result entails important implications not only for current professors and students but also for the profession more generally, given that the students who will make up tomorrow's faculties in Canadian universities are shaped by these biases.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)897-915
Number of pages19
JournalCanadian Journal of Political Science
Volume55
Issue number4
Early online date7 Oct 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Dec 2022

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Canadian politics
  • higher education
  • language
  • representation
  • socialization

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