Canadian Studies Programs Foster Understanding Between Canada And U.S.

Managing the high level bilateral priorities defining Canada-U.S. relations ­ softwood lumber disputes, mad cow concerns, border water management issues, and defense ­ to name but a few recent and contentious examples, increasingly necessitates the involvement of professionals with the skills to manage these diverse agendas. Additionally, Canadian and U.S. economic interdependence ­ Canada is the number one trading partner for 39 U.S. states, and $1.5 billion worth of goods and services crosses the border every day ­ further underlines the critical importance of having a broadly engaged professional community equipped to negotiate a wide range of bilateral issues. To address this need, Canadian studies programs in the U.S. are placing more and more emphasis on the importance of comparative studies. This 'inter-departmental' approach has grown in recent years with researchers from different disciplines using Canada as a focal point to compare and contrast Canadian policies and social models with those in the U.S. Popular with public policy researchers, this approach is now becoming increasingly common. By establishing a comparative research framework and analyzing alternative approaches, American researchers gain much greater insight not just into the Canadian model, but also the U.S. model thereby creating a valuable space for policy discourse. The study of Canada in the U.S. is also evolving at the undergraduate, graduate, and even K-12 level. At some universities, undergraduates will have more than a dozen sections of Introduction to Canada courses to choose from during academic year 2005/6. As a result of the increasingly prevalent comparative approach adopted by researchers, students are finding a more diverse offering of Canadian content across many disciplines. The growth in comparative courses will become increasingly important at schools that have not had any institutionalized Canadian studies programming. It makes the study of Canada accessible at universities without the resources or structure to offer a formal Canadian studies program. By studying Canada, students in the U.S. are in a unique position to contribute to research that has tended to stop at the border, including, for example, marine and wildlife conservation and cross border transportation issues. They also gain the insight and the tools to critically evaluate the differences in Canadian and U.S. policy approaches, legal systems/traditions, government structures and value systems thus giving them a greater perspective into their own systems. An interest in international trade and investment and cross border business relations is another factor drawing students to the study of Canada. This past June, The Association for Canadian Studies (ACSUS) with the support of the International Academic Relations Division of Foreign Affairs Canada, the Canadian Embassy in D.C., the Canadian consulates, and the University of Ottawa launched an innovative five-day program that brought 20 talented MBA students from the U.S. to Ottawa and Montreal. The students attended a week of presentations by leading figures within Canada's business community as a way to introduce Canadian business and economic models and bilateral trade and investment strategies. The seminar is an important investment in youth and is designed to provide future professionals with the tools they will need to successfully negotiate and navigate their way through bilateral issues. This seminar also represents the increased attention that ACSUS is directing towards internationalizing its programming as well as the importance of addressing global themes of mutual interest to all North Americans. Founded in 1971, The Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, based in Washington D.C. plays a critical role in encouraging greater awareness of Canada on U.S. campuses at the national level. Through programs such as the MBA seminar, ACSUS is addressing the marketing challenges involved in promoting the study of Canada within the U.S. by making Canada relevant in an everyday North American and global context. By making students critically aware of the extent of economic interdependence between Canada and the U.S., Canada comes much more into focus for them. And beyond economics and trade, students and educators will be able to increasingly draw on the growing interdisciplinary and comparative developments that are beginning to define how Canada is and can be studied. By broadening the scope of how Canada can be studied, marketing Canada to U.S. students and educators should become less of a challenge and invite greater interest and more diverse participation, especially at a time when Chinese or Middle Eastern studies out-competes Canadian studies within the realm of area studies. In many respects, the interest is there. The greater challenge is raising awareness of funding opportunities and grant programs and always making sure that increasing levels of interest in Canada are supported with sustainable levels of funding. Studying Canada is important on many levels. Focus on Canada positions students and educators to compare and contrast Canada with the United States allowing for critical assessment and discourse. The level of economic interdependence, the large volume of cross border trade and investment, the U.S. dependence on Canadian oil and natural gas, and cross border environmental and security cooperation all point to why Canada should and must be studied by all Americans. David Archibald is the Executive Director of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), based in Washington, D.C. http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2005/september/28/understanding/

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