Well it's that time of year at universities. We have had 13 weeks of semester and final exams will start next week. It seems impossible to me that the semester is almost over as it has just flown by. I know that for a number of first year students the pace is considerably different at university than it was in high school. In our orientation in September we inform the students that the clock begins to tick on day one. I am sure many students are reeling at the prospect of finals when they only just found their way around the campus. The whole thing can be somewhat overwhelming. So, if it's ok with you I would like to take this opportunity this week to remind students, particularly first year students about why a course is labelled "100" or, in the case of this column, "101."
The idea of an introductory course is to give students an overview of the discipline by saying: "Here is the vocabulary that we use as scholars to help explain certain phenomenon." In a first year course we introduce concepts and methods and themes that will recur throughout a four year course of study.
Sometimes students assume that all we expect from them is that they memorize definitions and facts. They are often caught unaware when an exam question asks them to apply what they have learned to a case or to reflect critically on a question that requires them to use facts they have learned as evidence for an answer. I remember one of my professors in my undergraduate who used to ask the question: "Can the Governor General be replaced by a stuffed teddy bear?" While the question might sound irreverent he was expecting a seriously thought-out response and he expected an answer.
There are at least two potential responses. Using the facts, concepts and themes of the course, one could either say: "Yes, the Governor General could be replaced by a stuffed teddy bear because the position is largely ceremonial. While the Governor General is the only named Executive role in the Constitution (besides the Queen whom the Governor General represents) the Prime Minister is actually the head of government. The Governor General asks a leader of a political party to form government but this is only a ritual. In this day and age the media tells us who the Prime Minister will be even before all the votes are all counted. While it may be true that the Governor General has been called upon to prorogue parliament in extraordinary circumstances over the last few years, this is so rare that it is rather inconsequential in the long history of the role."
The other option is: "No, the Governor General could not be replaced by a stuffed teddy bear. The Governor General is the Head of State. This role is critical in the Westminster style of government because the Head of Government has considerable power. The Prime Minster sits in the House of Commons and must "maintain confidence" in the House. Maintaining confidence means that the Prime Minister must receive more than 50 percent of the votes on important pieces of legislation. Failure to maintain confidence means that the Parliament is dissolved and an election is called. Despite the fact that the media thinks that they "call" an election, only the Governor General can ask the leader of a party, or, for that matter, more than one party, to form a government. Recently the former Governor General made a critical decision that allowed Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament in order that he might avoid a vote of non-confidence. The role of the Governor General is critical in our style of government and a stuffed teddy bear could not perform this esteemed position.
Answering this question requires that students understand why the question is important to our understanding of the Canadian political system; it requires an understanding of the function of that role; it requires a familiarity with recent political events; and it requires an understanding of the vocabulary of the discipline. So, as you head into final exams remember that what you have learned is more than a list of concepts and facts. Your task is to use those concepts and facts to answer complex (or potentially saucy) questions.
