CDN368H: CANADA’S BORDERS – FALL 2016
FALL TERM, WEDNESDAYS,10am-12pm, UC144
Course Instructor:
Professor Emily Gilbert
FallOffice Hours: Wednesdays 12-2pm, or by appointment
Office: UC B301
Telephone: 416 978 0751
Email:
Course Description
The Canadian border is being reshaped by the increasingtransnational movement of people, goods and ideas.We will examine border issues relating to mobility,trade, and security from a wide range of interdisciplinaryperspectives, from public policy to contemporary media, suchas TV, films, and novels.
The course will provide students with an overview of theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the border. Some attention will be addressed to historical border formation, but the emphasis of the course will be on contemporary border policies and politics in Canada. We will address the role of the border in delimiting state territory, governing mobility and citizenship, and framing national belonging. The increasing securitization and militarization of the Canadian border will be closely examined. Comparisons with other international borders will be encouraged throughout the course.
Course Objectives
In this course we will:
- Assess historical and contemporary ideas about and issues pertaining to the Canadian border;
- Develop a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to analyzing borders across multiple disciplines;
- Foster a critical understanding of the role of borders in contemporary society;
- Hone research skills, in particular with respect to developing a clear argument through the assessment of academic and popular sources.
Blackboard
This course uses Blackboard. All course materials, including course syllabus, assignments, course readings and other supplementary materials will be made available on Blackboard. The course instructor will frequently post materials on Blackboard, so students should check the course site regularly. Emails will also be sent out through Blackboard; students must regularly check their utoronto email accounts.
Email Policy
Communication with students will be through their utoronto.ca email address. Students should check their utoronto email regularly for communications through Blackboard. All email communications should be brief and courteous. Please do not expect an immediate reply to your email, but every effort will be made to get back to you within 48 hours (weekends not included). ALL EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE SHOULD HAVE CDN368 CLEARLY IDENTIFIED IN THE SUBJECT HEADING OR THE EMAIL WILL NOT BE READ. Assignments will not be accepted by email.
Course Format
This course will include lectures and class discussions which will engage and expand upon the assigned readings. Lectures will be supplemented by film clips and where relevant, presentations by guest speakers. Assigned readings should be completed in advance of the Wednesday class.
Assignments and Marking Scheme:
Critical Response Due Wednesday, September 28, 201610%
Media AssignmentDue Wednesday, October 19, 201610%
Essay ProposalDueWednesday,November 2, 201610%
Research EssayDueWednesday, November 30, 201635%
ExamFall Examination Period (Dec 9-20, 2016)35%
All written assignments are due on Wednesdays at the beginning of class, and must be handed in to the course instructor.
Please note: There is a penalty of 5% per day (including weekends) for late assignments and essays. Assignments submitted on the due date, but not at the beginning of the lecture period, will be penalized by 2%. Late assignments will not be accepted after one week without a valid medical certificate. Late assignments should be submitted and date-stamped in the Program Office in UC173.Neither the course instructor nor the teaching assistant will be held responsible for any late course assignments or essays that go missing. Be sure to retain a copy of your paper and keep all your notes and drafts.
Critical Response(10%)
Your first assignment is to watch a short (10 minute) video on the topic of borders, and to write a critical response to the video and the issues around borders that it raises.The critical response should be no more 750 words (about 3 pages). You are not required to consult any additional research materials, but you are welcome to do so (and if you do, make sure to include a bibliography). More detailed instructions will be available on Blackboard.The critical response is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.
Media Assignment(10%)
Your second assignment is to provide a media analysis on a contemporary issue relating to Canada’s borders.The critical response should be no more than 750 words (about 3 pages).Make sure to include complete bibliographic information of the sources you discuss. You may consult academic work on borders, but you are not required to do so (but if you do, make sure to include them in the bibliography). More detailed instructions are available on Blackboard. The media assignment is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, October 19, 2016.
Essay Proposal (10%)
You will be required to write an essay proposal. The proposal must set out the general topic to be addressed in your paper in a one page outline; a tentative thesis statement; and an annotated bibliography with a minimum of five academic sources, including articles, books and book chapters. Two of the sources must be drawn from the assigned course readings. Possible topics will be made available, but you may devise a topic of your own choosing. More detailed instructions are available on Blackboard. The essay proposal is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, November 2, 2016.
Research Essay (35%)
Your research essay should be about 2000 words (approximately 8 pages) plus bibliography. The research essay will require independent research and thoughtful preparation. Your essay will be evaluated for its use of secondary sources, its argumentation and organization, the originality and creativity of the critical analysis, and the clarity of the writing. More detailed instructions are available on Blackboard.The essay is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, November 30, 2016.
Exam (35%)
The exam will be worth 30% of your final grade. It will be a comprehensive examination that will include materials from across the term. You will be expected to draw upon all course materials, including course readings, lectures, in-class discussion, and film clips.The exam will be scheduled by the Faculty Registrar during the Fall Examination Period between December 9 and December 20, 2016.
Concerns about Grading
Questions about assignment marking and course grades cannot be addressed effectively via email. Individual attention is available during office hours or by appointment. The Faculty of Arts and Science only permits the re-marking of assignments within ONE MONTH of the date of the assignment’s return to you.
A Warning about Plagiarism
The code of academic conduct disallows the following:
- to represent as one’s own any idea or expression of an idea or work of another in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work, i.e. to commit plagiarism;
- to submit, without the knowledge and approval of the instructor to whom it is submitted, any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being sought in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere
The University of Toronto takes academic honesty very seriously. Any suspected cases of plagiarism will be investigated.“How not to plagiarize” can be located on the university’s writing web site, at
Writing Resources
UniversityCollege has an excellent Writing Centre ( that is open to all UC students and students enrolled in UNI courses. They provide individual instruction in intensive 50-minute consultations. Appointments can be made online. The UC Writing Centre also provides a range of other resources; see their website for more information.
Accessibility Needs
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. If you have a disability/health consideration that may require course format accommodation, please feel free to approach the course instructor to discuss your needs. If you require accommodations for a disability, or have accessibility concerns about the course, the classroom or course materials, please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible: or
Illness and Absences
Please obtain lecture notes from a classmate if you miss one or more classes and see your course instructor if you have questions about the material that was covered during your absence. Notify your course instructor as soon as possible if a serious illness or other concern is affecting your ability to keep up with the course. It is also wise to contact your college registrar if you are experiencing academic and/or personal difficulties.
Drop Date
The last date to drop courses with an F section code from your academic record without penalty is Monday, November 7, 2016.
September 141.Introductions
September 212. Securing the Border
Peter Andreas, The Mexicanization of the US-Canada Border
Jason Ackleson, From ‘Thin’ to ‘Thick’ (and Back Again?)
September 283. Beyond the Border
Beyond the Border Agreement
Department of Homeland Security, Northern Border Strategy (June, 2012)
FIRST ASSIGNMENT DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS: SEPTEMBER 28, 2016October 54. Imposing the Border
Donald A Grinde, Iroquois Border Crossings
Thomas King, Borders
October 125. Border Enforcement
Kornel Chang, Enforcing Transnational White Solidarity
Emily Gilbert, Borders and Security in North America
October 196. Border Screening
David Lyon, Airport Screening, Surveillance and Social Sorting
Mark Salter, Passports, Mobility and Security
SECOND ASSIGNMENT DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS: OCTOBER 19, 2016October 267. Identity Documents
Matthew Sparke, Fast Capitalism/Slow Terror
Simone Browne, Getting Carded
November 28. Targeting Migrants and Refugees
Sharryn Aitken, Risking Rights
ErfatArbel, Shifting Borders and the Boundaries of Rights
ESSAY PROPOSAL DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS: NOVEMBER 2, 2016November 99. Detention and Deportation
Colleen Bell, Subject to Exception
Janet Cleveland, Not So Short and Sweet
November 1610. Borders and Biosecurity
Alan and Josephine Smart, Biosecurity, Quarantine and Life across the Border
RenisaMawani, Screening out Diseased Bodies
November 2311. Critical Infrastructure
William de Laat, Beyond the Border
Craig Proulx, Colonizing Surveillance
Shiri Pasternak, The Economics of Insurgency
November 3012. Conclusions and Review
Bridget Anderson et al, We Are All Foreigners
RESEARCH ESSAY DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS: NOVEMBER 30, 2016EXAM TO BE SCHEDULED DURING THE WINTER EXAMINATION PERIOD (December 9-20, 2016)
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