The Place of Civic Engagement in Introductory Canadian Politics and Government Courses in Canadian Universities

Traditionally in Canada, attention to political or civic education has been at the primary-or secondary-school level. This study focuses on the place of civic engagement in introductory Canadian politics and government university courses in Canada by surveying instructors on their attitudes and approaches to civic engagement in the classroom. Surveying 28 instructors from across the country from large and small, English and French institutions, we compared survey results to collected course syllabi from the participants. In our study, we found that there is a clear disconnect between what instructors believe is the most effective way to foster civic engagement and what they are assigning their students to complete for course requirements.