Dr. Andrew Robinson

Associate Professor, Program Coordinator for Human Rights and Human Diversity

Contact Information

Email: arobinson@wlu.ca
Phone: 519.756.8228 ext.5743
Fax: 519-756-3716
Office Location: GRH 129

Languages Spoken

English

Academic Background

Degrees:

• PhD, Political Science, University of Western Ontario
• MA, Political Science, University of Western Ontario
• Bachelor of Commerce, University of Toronto

Teaching:

I teach several courses in the Human Rights and Human Diversity Program and in Contemporary Studies programs, including:

• CT122 Social and Political Thought
• HR100 Human Rights and Human Diversity
  
• CT260 Introduction to Human Rights
• HR261 Multiculturalism
• HR323 Rights in Canada: Rights, Freedoms, and the Charter
• HR401 Philosophy of Human Rights

Research Interests:

I research the moral and practical capacity of liberal-democratic states to accommodate deep cultural diversity. As such, I have interests in Canadian politics and contemporary political theory in general, and judicial politics, federalism, and human rights in particular. I am especially interested in the Canadian case as an example of how human rights law and values in the international community make their inside the the sovereign state where they can be enjoyed by individuals.

I am currently working on a project concerning individual communications from the Americas to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Commission. I am also conducting a study on the career path, education, and occupations of staff of nongovernmental organizations in Ontario that advance human rights. 

Representative Publications:

The Workplace Relevance of the Liberal Arts Political Science BA and How It Might Be Enhanced: Reflections on an Exploratory Survey of the NGO Sector. PS: Political Science & Politics, volume 46, issue 01, pp. 147-153.

More than a Marketing Strategy: Multiculturalism and Meaningful Life. in Managing Ethnic Diversity: Meanings and Practices from an International Perspective, ed. Reza Hasmath (Farnham, England: Ashgate, 2011): 29-46.

Is Canadian Multiculturalism Parochial? Canadian Contributions to Theorizing Justice and Ethnocultural Diversity. in The Comparative Turn in Canadian Political Science, ed. Linda A. White, Richard Simeon, Robert Vipond, and Jenn Wallner (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2008): 41-58.

Multiculturalism and the Foundations of Meaningful Life: Reconciling Autonomy, Identity, and Community (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2007).

Would International Adjudication Enhance Contextual Theories of Justice? Reflections on the UN Human Rights Committee, Lovelace, Ballantyne and Waldman. Canadian Journal of Political Science 39 (2) (June 2006): 271-291.

With Karen Schlegl. Student Use of the Internet for Research Projects: A Problem? Our Problem? What Can We Do About It? Political Science & Politics 37 (2) (April 2004): 211-315.

Cultural Rights and Internal Minorities: Of Pueblos and Protestants. Canadian Journal of Political Science March 2003.

The Supreme Court And Collective Rights: Taking Community Seriously? in Political Dispute And Judicial Review. M. W. Westmacott and Hugh Mellon (eds.) (Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson, 2000).

With Karen Schlegl. Improving the Quality of Student Internet Citations: Bibliographies improve when professors provide enforceable guidelines for citations. Portal: Libraries and the Academy April 2004.

With Karen Schlegl. Has the Web really contributed to a decline in the scholarly quality of undergraduate citation behaviour?: a Canadian Case study. in Bridging the Digital Divide: Equalizing Access to Information and Communications Technologies: Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science Dalhousie University May 30-June 1, 2003.

First Nations, Cleavages, and the Constitution. in Options for a Renewed Canada. Wladyslaw T. Kinastowski and Peter J. Misiaszek, (eds.) (Waterloo, Ontario: Dept. of Political Science, University of Waterloo, 1993).