Enjeux géopolitiques US N_(LEELE502)

This seminar investigates the question of geopolitics within the geographic space of the North American continent. We will look at the way in which the relations between the North American countries —Mexico, Canada, and the United States of America— have been constructed.
We will focus primarily on Canada, the United States and Mexico, examining the ways in which geography and history have dictated their international affairs and their attitude towards their neighbors. We will also examine the articulation of geopolitical and economic stakes.
We will focus on a variety of documents (newspaper articles, treaties, historical documents, essays, and excerpts from works of fiction) paying particular attention to the ways in which the relations between the countries and the people have changed and evolved throughout history.
This course does not attempt to cover all events and trends that have occurred in Northern America. Instead, it isolates a particular set of topics. Thus, we will consider the questions of nation building, foreign policy, borders, immigration and language, and the ways in which historical changes have affected the population of the three countries on both political and personal levels.