The Study of Canada

The study of Canada is mainly focused in the recently established North American studies programme at St Antony’s College. The programme was launched with funding from Canadian donors including IDRC (International Development Research Centre) who will also fund a two-year postdoctoral fellowship for a specialist in the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America. In this programme, Canada is studied in its regional context, a unique approach given that the countries on the North American continent tend to be studied individually. In May 2012 the programme welcomed Stephen Toope, President and Vice Chancellor, University of British Columbia to deliver one of its seminar series on the topic of “Torture: Can International Law Prevent It?”

Politics and International Relations
In the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), Professor Jennifer Welsh is a specialist in Canadian Foreign Policy. Amongst other, numerous publications, she has co-edited with Professor Ngaire Woods Exporting Good Governance: Temptations and Challenges in Canada’s Aid Program (2007). Professor Welsh’s book At Home in the World: Canada’s Global Vision for the 21st Century (2004) was nominated for the Annual Canadian Political Science Association 2005 book of the year

Oxford University Centre for the Environment
Academics and graduate students in the Oxford University Centre for the Environment (OUCE) are studying Canada including the environmental sciences in the Canadian Arctic, responsible corporate engagement and property investment in Canada, and the interaction between the Inuit and researchers in the northern Nunavut Territory.

Biodiversity Institute
Researchers at the Biodiversity Institute in the Oxford Martin School have been using time lapse photography to monitor difficult to reach alpine and polar environments. Dr. Marc Macias Fauria plans to place four time lapse cameras high in the altitudinal tree line area of the Canadian Rockies, some 2,000 metres above sea level, thus setting up a network of snow gauges to greatly enrich the sparse amount of data that is available on the area due to the difficult conditions. Data including images, snow depth information, temperature and other environmental variables will be retrieved remotely and processed in Oxford.

Internships in Canada
For those students who do not study Canada as an aspect of their course or research, there is an opportunity to come to know the region through the Oxford University International Internships Programme (OUIIP), which provides students with the opportunity to spend the long vacation learning new skills in a new country. One of the very first placements offered in the first year of the scheme was a research internship at the University of Toronto. In the 2012 round, five internships were offered by Canadian companies.