state of Canadian Studies at the year 2000: Some observations, The

Journal of Canadian Studies, Spring 2000 by T H B Symons

The Institute's rich programme includes the annual Charles R. Bronfman Lecture in Canadian Studies, numerous workshops and special seminars, the creation of an extensive database of more than 1,600 individuals, agencies and associations interested in the study of Canada, an active institutional relationship with the Centre of Canadian Studies at the University of Edinburgh, a National Canadian Studies Institute for Teachers, and an Enrichment Mini-Course (threeday) Institute of Canadian Studies for interested high school students. The syllabus for the Mini-Course speaks volumes about the great advantages of the Institute's strategic location when it notes that, after a lunch break at the University, students "Depart for the Supreme Court on foot." The Institute has strong ties with the International Council for Canadian Studies with which it sponsors the International Canadian Studies Series of publications as well as, with Carleton University also, an International Summer Seminar in Canadian Studies. All of this is reported thrice annually in the Institute's newsletter, Initiatives.

At Concordia University, where the earlier Canadian Studies Programme appears to have simply faded away, a Chair in Canadian Jewish Studies was established in 1999. The Chair is at the centre of a burgeoning programme dedicated to the study of the Canadian Jewish experience through the provision of academic courses for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to scholarships for work at the doctoral and Master's levels, internships to be held at various Jewish community institutions and organizations are available. Through research and education, the Chair also supports a wide range of projects of local, national and international interest that contribute to this growing field of inquiry. In much of its activity, this Concordia programme places an emphasis on partnerships and building bridges between the study of Canadian Jewry and the communities it serves. Generously funded by Charles and Andrea Bronfman and the Seagram Company, the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies is housed near Concordia's downtown Montreal campus in the Samuel Bronfman Building which has a long history of Jewish community service. The Archives of the Canadian Jewish Congress and other materials, providing the most thorough documentation of Jewish life in the country, are located there.

Concordia has pioneered in many areas of ethnic and religious studies and has done much to set a standard for research into the different cultural entities that constitute the Canadian mosaic. Indeed, the growth of numerous and strong programmes in ethnic studies and cultural diversity at universities across Canada should be noted as a major development which is contributing enormously to the Canadian Studies field. So, too, is the development of interdisciplinary programmes in such key areas as Environmental Studies, Native Studies, Cultural Studies and Women's Studies. The development of an array of teaching and research programmes in external relations and international affairs is also an important development, essential to placing the study of Canada in its appropriate context.