Recent Canadian Studies Grant Recipients

Conference Grants | Faculty Research Grants | Faculty Enrichment Grants | Doctoral Student Research Award | Program Enhancement Grants | North American Research Linkages Grant | Outreach Grants

Conference Grants 2008-09

Conference grants are designed to assist four-year U.S. colleges and universities and research institutions to hold a conference addressing important and timely issues about Canada or Canada-U.S. relations and to publish the proceedings.

Arctic

Arctic Sovereignty Symposium. Austen Parrish, Southwestern University.
Southwestern Law School hosted a one-day symposium focused on the legal issues related to Arctic sovereignty. Drawing on Southwestern’s strong ties with Canada, this one-day live symposium brought together leading legal figures from throughout North America to analyze the critical issues raised by the Arctic sovereignty debate. Speakers focused not only on the territorial and security claims that the Arctic sovereignty debate raises, but explored how issues of Arctic sovereignty relate to the environment and international environmental law, as well as indigenous and human rights. The symposium is expected to be the first, comprehensive U.S. law school conference focused on Arctic sovereignty. Venue: Los Angeles, California, October 2008.

Afghanistan

U.S.-Canada Cooperation in Rebuilding Higher Education in Afghanistan. Kenneth Holland, Ball State University.
This conference will bring together key representatives of the United States, Canada and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to explore ways in which the three nations can cooperate in the rehabilitation and development of higher education in Afghanistan. It will explore opportunities for new forms of collaboration between Canada and the United States in the stabilization of Afghanistan. Venue: Washington, DC, May 2009.

Canada-U.S. Border

Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial Symposium. Noah Hall, Wayne State University.
This Symposium, combining a live event with a written publication, will focus on the 100-year anniversary of the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada. Specifically, the Review will host internationally renowned speakers and authors addressing the impact of this Treaty over the past century and its continued relevance. The key issues to be addressed by the Symposium include the role of the Boundary Waters Treaty: (1) in shaping Canada-U.S. relations; (2) in developing international environmental law; (3) in protecting freshwater resources in North America; and (4) in understanding the future of the Boundary Waters Treaty. Venue: Detroit, MI, February or March 2009.

Institute Impacts. Michael Treleavan, Gonzaga University.
'Institute Impacts' is a conference that will measure the influences that the International Canadian Studies Institutes (ICSI) have had on individual faculty, staff, universities, and students through positions attained, courses created, research conducted, projects undertaken, cross border exchanges, study tours organized, and students going to Canada to study. The conference will measure the impacts through panels, individual presentations, performances, a roundtable discussion, and an ICSI Yearbook. Venue: Seattle, Washington, 15-16 October 2009.

A Workshop on Comparative Family Law. Daniela Kraiem, American University.
The Women and International Law Program will host the second “Workshop on Comparative Family Law,” at American University. The Workshop will bring together top scholars of comparative law and family law to discuss the changing legal regulation of intimate and family lives, with a particular emphasis on comparing the legal regimes of the U.S. and Canada. Panelists will examine the combined impact of global markets and immigration policy on family life, the evolving definitions of marriage, including same sex and polygamous unions, in the United States and Canada and how conceptions of family, individual rights, and social policy agendas in one jurisdiction interact with family law and social policy in other jurisdictions. Venue: Washington, D.C., February 2009.

Environment

Managing Ecosystems of Regulated Rivers and Watersheds: A conference series highlighting 50 years of hydroelectric power development and the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway on the International Section of the St. Lawrence River. Michael Twiss, Clarkson University.
The Great Rivers Center and Center for Canadian Studies at Clarkson University will partner with the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Science in Cornwall, Ontario to deliver the second in a series of conferences commemorating the 50th anniversary of the construction of Moses-Saunders hydroelectric power project and development of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The conference will also seek to discuss solutions to reduce adverse environmental effects. Venue: Cornwall, ON, May 5-7, 2009.

Impacts of U.S. Climate Change Policy for Canada. J.R. DeShazo, University of California, Los Angeles.
This conference will assess the impacts of US Climate Policy on Canada-US trade relations with special focus on the energy sector. Current US legislative proposals indicate that the adverse impacts on trade may be mitigated if Canada and the US are able to harmonize their climate change policy and more specifically integrate their carbon markets. The conference will also evaluate the promise and the challenges associated with such integration. Venue: Los Angeles, CA, January 30, 2009.

Beyond the Boundary Waters Treaty: Governance, Ecosystem Science and Management in the Connecting Channels. Joseph Atkinson, University at Buffalo.
In conjunction with the International Joint Commission centennial celebration of the Boundary Waters Treaty, the University of Buffalo will host this conference to address governance and ecosystem sustainability issues affecting the connecting channels of the Great Lakes, with an emphasis on the Niagara River. Venue: Buffalo, NY, June 11-12, 2009.

Immigration

Settlement, Security and Social Justice: Immigrants and Refugees in US-Canada Border Regions. Pablo Bose, University of Vermont.
This conference will bring together scholars, policymakers, community members, and grassroots activists to discuss issues of migration, settlement, integration, and human rights in the context of demographic shifts along border regions in central and eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. The conference will highlight many of the challenges facing both newcomers and host communities within and across the border regions. Venue: Burlington, VT, March 16-17, 2009.

Québec

Québec et les autres: 400 years of Interactions/Quebec and Canada: 400 Years of Challenges. David Archibald, Georgetown University.
The American Council for Québec Studies and the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States used Quebec’s 400th anniversary to focus on the province’s cultural, political, and economic relationships within and outside Canada from interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary perspectives. American, Canadian and international scholars provided an inclusive program with potential to stimulate dialogue relevant to the wider discourse on intercultural and intergovernmental relations. The event will also address important Acadian perspectives. Venue: Québec City, QC, November 13-16, 2008.

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Faculty Research Grant Recipients 2008-09

Research grants are designed to assist individual scholars or a team of scholars in writing an article-length manuscript of publishable quality that contributes to a better knowledge and understanding of Canada, its relationship with the United States, and its international affairs.

Border Security and Emergency Management

Regional Stakeholder Findings about Improved Border Management. Donald Alper, Political Science, Western Washington University. WA.

Comparative Emergency Management: Understanding Disaster Policies, Organization sand Initiatives in Canada and the United States. David McEntire, Emergency Management, University of North Texas. TX.

Economics and Trade

Firm Decline, Expansion, and Economic Evolution: Last Wave and Next Wave Geographies in the Canadian Economy. Murray Rice, Geography, University of North Texas. TX.

Achieving Economic Competitiveness through Demographic Diversity and Tolerance. Laura Reese, Political Science, Michigan State University. MI.

Planning for the Cultural Economy: Implications for Local Economic Development and Competitiveness. Carl Grodach, Urban Planning and Public Administration, University of Texas at Arlington. TX.

Human Resource Management Structures, Disability Law and their Effect on the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in Canada and the United States. Mark Moore, Management, East Carolina University. NC.

Examining the Cultural Politics of Canadian Gemstone Diamonds. Kolson Schlosser, Geography, Western Kentucky University. KY.

Environment

From Logging to Leisure: Landscapes of Social and Environmental Change on Vancouver’s North Shore. David Rossiter, Geography, Western Washington University. WA.

Climate Change and Social Distress among Canadian Inuit. Miriam Golden, Political Science, University of California at Los Angeles. CA.

Private-Sector Leadership in Brownfields Reuse Planning: A Comparative Study of Canadian and U.S. Examples. Justin Hollander, Urban Planning, Tufts University. MA.

A Comparative Assessment of the Success of Urban Forests in Residential Subdivisions. Elizabeth Brabec, Land Planning, University of Massachusetts Amherst. MA.

Eeyou Istchee: Political Ecology in James Bay. Hans Carlson, History, University of Minnesota. MN.

Immigration

Immigration and Internal Migration of Canada under the Progressive Entrenchment of Globalization and Neo-liberalism. Lei Xu, Population Geography, California State University, Fullerton. CA.

Canada-US-Mexico Integration? Assessing Migrant and Immigrant Health Policy Convergence. Nielan Barnes, Sociology, California State University, Long Beach. CA.

American Exodus: Widening the Lens on North American Migration. Sheila Croucher, Political Science/American Studies, Miami University. OH.

International Relations

Why Is Canada in Afghanistan? Explaining Canada’s Military Commitment. Christopher Kirkey, Political Science, State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. NY.

Ethnic Communities and Canadian Middle East Policy. Brent Sasley, International Relations, University of Texas at Arlington. TX.

Politics

Governance and Political Contestation beyond Sovereignty: The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Jeffrey Ayres, Political Science, Saint Michaels College. VT.

Reconceptualizing the Role of Precedent in the Supreme Court of Canada. Donald Songer, Political Science, University of South Carolina. SC.

The Impact and Influence of Law Clerks at the Supreme Court of Canada. David Weiden, Political Science, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. IN.

Building New State Forms in the Era of Globalization: Sub-State Autonomy Strategies in Alberta. Cory Blad, Sociology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. IL.

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Faculty Enrichment Grants 2008-09

Faculty Enrichment Grants provide faculty at accredited four-year U.S. colleges and universities an opportunity to develop courses with relevance to Canada that will be taught on a regular basis.

Canadian Literature

Canadian Literature as Cultural Production, Steven Hayward, English, The Colorado College. CO.
This course will focus on Canadian literature as cultural production with a perspective that is thoroughly comparative: how does the Canadian publishing industry differ from its American and European counterparts? Are Canadian readers different from American? The entirety of this class will be taught in Canada over a three and a half week period.

Contemporary Atlantic Canadian Literature, Florence Lovell, English Department, Division of Literature, Languages, & Philosophy, Kentucky State University. KY.
The first of its kind at Kentucky State University, this class will introduce works by late 20 th century and early 21 st century Atlantic Canadian authors. Writings by outstanding authors from each of the four eastern provinces will present students with diversity in cultural and individual perspective as well as literary style.

Canadian Politics

Canadian Politics and World Views: Borders, Neal Carter, Political Science, St. Bonaventure University. NY.
This summer course will focus on comparisons of the US and Canada, as well as their international relations. It will include a trip to Canada and sessions with both countries’ diplomatic corps, politicians, practitioners, members of the tourism industry, and professors in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City.

Canadian Studies

Online Introduction to Canadian Studies, Scott Piroth, Political Science and Canadian Studies, Bowling Green State University. OH.
This grant will provide funding for three teaching modules for a current online course offered at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). This includes modules on Canada’s First Nations, the politics and culture of Québec, and Canadian politics. The segments will be used not only to enhance the quality of a current online course but also to serve as resources for all of the instructors of Canadian Studies at BGSU.

Community Development and Sustainability

Sustainable Cities in North America, Lars Christiansen, Sociology, Augsburg College. MN.
This course compares Augsburg’s home cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul with two leading North American cities on various dimensions of sustainability – Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR. The class will learn the meaning of urban sustainability, how to support sustainable practices and explore cross-national sustainability initiatives in both Canada and the US. The course will visit Victoria, BC to learn about Victoria’s environmental conservation policies and meet with members of the Provincial Government.

Community Development in the Circumpolar North, Pamela Stern, Circumpolar Studies, Sterling College. VT.
This community development course concentrates on the economic, political and social development in contemporary indigenous communities in the Circumpolar North. The course will provide students with a thorough understanding of the last 150 years of social and economic history in the Circumpolar North and expose them to the broad range and variety of attitudes and activities among northern indigenous peoples concerning community development, resource extraction and environmental stewardship.

Environment

Marine Ecology of the Pacific Northwest, Lei Lani Stelle, Biology, University of Redlands. CA.
The course will investigate the ecology of coastal waters extending from Oregon , through British Columbia, to Alaska as a travel study program. A major focus will be threats to the local animal species and their environment, along with conservation measures enacted to reduce the disturbances. Students will meet and work with representatives from academia, government, non-profit organizations, and members of the First Nation to develop a global perspective on issues relating to the sustainable use of our shared marine resources.

Canadian Environmental Policy, Shannon Orr, Political Science, Bowling Green State University. OH.
The purpose of the online course is to introduce students to Canadian policymaking and promote greater understanding of the environmental challenges facing different regions of Canada. This course will cover material on: the development of the environmental movement, environmental values, government institutions and processes, the role of competing interests in environmental policy and regional environmental issues.

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Doctoral Student Research Awards 2008-09

Doctoral Student Research Awards offer doctoral students an opportunity to conduct part of their dissertation research in Canada. The program is intended for full-time students at accredited four-year colleges and universities and whose dissertations are related in substantial part to the study of Canada.

Canadian Foreign Policy

Canadian-Colombian Relations: Building Bridges Under U.S. Hemispheric Hegemony, 1968-1984, Stefano Tijerina, History, University of Maine. ME.
The objective of this project is to look at the historical developments behind the construction of Canadian-Colombian relations at a time when the US increasingly exercised hegemonic control over the economic development and politics of the region. It will focus on the role played by Canada’s private sector, the impact of Trudeau's Third Option policies toward Colombia, and impacts of early economic development and aid agreements between the two nations. It will also examine how Canada cooperated with the United States, via economic development and aid projects, in order to redirect nations such as Colombia toward a more capitalist model.

Environment

“Democratizing” Climate Change Governance: Inuit Environmental Activism and Institutional Networks, Noorjehan Johnson, Anthropology, McGill University. QC.
This project will study Inuit involvement in climate change governance from the local to the national and international levels. Particular attention will be paid to the transfer of local knowledge about environmental change through NGO, government and scientific networks. The investigation will consider the ways in which Inuit activists are participating in global advocacy and how their local knowledge and experience are represented in global activism.

Breaking the Ice: Rights and Resources in a Warming Arctic, Jeffrey Parkey, Strom Thurmond Institute, Clemson University. SC.
Environmental change is reshaping the values and uses of Arctic resources and this study frames environmental and political change in the Arctic as a search for resource values. It analyzes the Northwest Passage as such a resource to assess costs that may be incurred and benefits that may accrue to the Canadian public in maintaining the vital waterway in the context of a warming Arctic and a globalizing economy.

Immigration

New Tactics in the War on Terror? Immigrant Integration Policy Development in Canada and Abroad, Betsy Cooper, Political Science, Oxford University. UK.
Since September 11, 2001, a core assumption about immigrant integration policy has recurred in many liberal democracies, including Canada : that better immigrant integration can somehow reduce the risk of future terrorism. As a result, a host of new integration policies have been implemented during this time-frame; however, certain countries which have experienced terrorist attacks, including the US, have made far fewer changes than others, calling into question whether terrorism is indeed the most significant explanatory variable. This research investigates how terrorist attacks have affected the instigation, content, and passage of post-Cold War immigrant integration policies in Canada and abroad.

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Program Enhancement Grants 2008-09

Program Enhancement Grants encourage scholarly inquiry and multidisciplinary activities that will contribute to the development or expansion of a Canadian Studies Program at U.S. colleges and universities or research institutions.

Whitman College, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Sharon-Ruth Alker

Western Washington University, Center for Canadian-American Studies. Director: Donald Alper

Transylvania University, Canadian Studies Program. Director: James Baker

UC Berkeley, Canadian Studies Program. Co-Director: Nelson Graburn

Vanderbilt University, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Robert Barsky

Willamette University, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Sammy Basu

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, The Canada Institute. Director: David Biette

Clarkson University, Center for Canadian Studies. Director: Martin Heintzelman

St. Bonaventure University, Canadian Politics. Neal Carter

Sterling College, The Circumpolar North. Pamela Stern

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Political Science. Amy Lovecraft

Western Michigan University, Canadian Studies Program. Chair: Nora Faires

Boise State University, Canadian Studies Program. Co-Director: Ross Burkhart

Bridgewater State College, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Anthony Cicerone

Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Canadian Studies Program, Director: Charles Doran

Bowling Green State University, Canadian Studies Center. Director: Christine Drennen

University of Missouri, Canadian Studies Program. Director: James Endersby

University of Washington, Canadian Studies Center. Associate-Director: Nadine Fabbi

Eastern Connecticut State University, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Ronald Ferguson

Portland State University, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Claudine Fisher

Seattle University, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Ted Fortier

Morehead State University, Canadian Studies Online Program. Director: William Green

Michigan State University, Canadian Studies Center. Director: Frederic Bohm

University of Oregon, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Susan Hardwick

The University of Maine, Canadian-American Center. Director: Stephen Hornsby

University of Southern California, Center for International Studies. Director: Patrick James

SUNY Plattsburgh, Canadian Studies. Director: Christopher Kirkey

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies. Director: Marc Levine

University of Vermont, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Paul Martin

Lehigh University, Canadian Studies Institute. Asst. Director: Judith McDonald

Lock Haven University of PA, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Joseph McGinn

SUNY Buffalo, Canadian-American Studies Committee. Director: H. Lorraine Oak

Michigan State University, Canadian Studies Center. Director: John W. Reifenberg

Washington State University, Political Science. Travis Ridout

University of Puget Sound, Canadian Studies Program. Director: Douglas Sackman

Western Oregon University, Canadian Studies Interest Group. Director: Robin Smith

Pacific Lutheran University, Wang Center for International Programs. Director: Neal Sobania

Pacific Northwest Canadian Studies Consortium. Director: Michael Treleaven

University of Alaska, Anchorage, International Studies Program. Director: Dorn Van Dommelen

University of Michigan-Dearborn, Ottawa Political Internship Program. Director: Frank Wayman

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North American Research Linkages Grants 2009-2010

NAFTA Cold-Chain Border Crossing Workshop. Juan Villa, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University in participation with Ron McLachlin and Barry Prentice, Asper School Of Business, University of Manitoba, and Jaime Escalera Jimemez, Universidad Politecnica de Aguascalientes.

Security Complexes and Perimeter Defense in North America:  A Critical Assessment. Richard Kilroy, Virginia Military Institute in participation with Abelardo Rodriguez Sumano, Centro de Estudios sobre America del Norte and Todd Hataley, Royal Military College of Canada.

Border Governance: A Comparative North American Study. Imtiaz Hussain, Universidad Iberoamericana, Santa Fe, in partnership with Daniel Drache, York University, and Roberto Dominguez, Suffolk University.

Insecurity and Informality in North American Metropolises. Hector Castillo Berthier, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, in partnership with Diane Davis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Julie-Anne Boudreau, Institute national de la recherche scientifique, Montreal.

International Best Practices as Cost-effective Approaches for Vulnerable Groups’ Health and Social Policy Development in Canada, U.S. and Mexico. Eduardo Alvarez Falcon, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, in partnership with A. Paul Williams, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto and Mary Stuart, Health Administration and Policy Program, University of Maryland.

The Present and Future of North America’s Energy Security Regime. The Implications for the Evolving Governance of Security, Prosperity and Sustainability in the Region. Isidro Morales, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, in partnership with Mark Bernstein, Energy Institute, University of Southern California and José Etcheverry, Environmental Studies, York University.

Network for Applied Research and Innovations in Sustainable Rural Development and Competitiveness. Ricardo Trejo-Calzada, La Unidad Regional Universitaria de Zonas Áridas, in partnership with Desmond Ng, Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, and Abimbola Abiola, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and Olds College.

Characterization and Comparing of the Labor Migration México-United State-Canada. Oscar Calderon Morillon, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, in partnership with Jenna Hennebry, International Migration Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Gilberto Gonzalez, Chicano-Latino Studies Department, University of California, Irvine.

The International Politics of Sub-national Entities: A Comparative Study of Québec, the Mexican Northeast and America. Zidane Zeraoui, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, in partnership with Michelle Bussières, Faculty of Law, Laval University, and Roberto Domínguez, Suffolk University.

Network on New Directions in Civil Society Organizations Funding. Alejandro Natal Martinez, El Colegio Mexiquense, in partnership with John Casey, School of Public Affairs, Baruch College, and Paula Speevak Sladowski, Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development, Carleton University.

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Outreach Grants 2008-2009

Michigan State University, Canadian Studies K-12 Outreach Program. Acting Director: AnnMarie Schneider.

Minnesota Humanities Center. Director: Casey DeMarais.

Plattsburgh State University of New York, Center for the Study of Canada. Director: Christopher Kirkey.

Portland State University, Oregon Geographic Alliance. Director: Teresa Bulman

University of Maine, Canadian-American Center. Director: Stephen Hornsby.

Western Washington University, Center for Canadian-American Studies. Director: Donald Alper.