XLAW403: Foundations of Canadian Law

Faculty/Academic Area: Faculty of Arts 

Department: Political Science 

Campus: Waterloo 

Employee Group: WLUFA 

Requisition ID: 9234 

Position Title: XLAW403: Foundations of Canadian Law 

Term: June 30 – October 3, 2025 

Days/Times: June 30 - September 12, 2025 

Hours per week/Hours Total: 6 per week/36 total 

Type of Course: Asynchronous online lesson; two bi-weekly Virtual Synchronous 2-hour tutorials 

Anticipated Class Size: 46 

Posted on: April 17 2025 

Posting ends: May 2 2025 

Position Summary:  

The online course, XLAW403: Foundations of Canadian Law, is intended for undergraduate students completing their final year of a blended Honours BA and LLB with Sussex University for students in the Laurier-Sussex stream in Criminology, Human Rights, Law and Society, Philosophy, and Political Science Honours programs.  

The main purpose of this course is to prepare students who have graduated from the Sussex LLB program to write and pass the NCA (National Committee on Accreditation) exam on Foundations of Canadian Law and the course curriculum and learning materials for the course will be based on the NCA’s course syllabus Foundations-of-Canadian-Law-2025-Nov-8-1.pdf 

This course is designed to acquaint students with the basic theories, sources, and structure of Canadian Law. Students will explore the judicial decision-making process in Canada, Canadian legal pluralism, the legal relationship between the state and Indigenous Peoples, and the main theories that have influenced Canadian legal thought. The course also examines fundamental principles of the Canadian legal system, functions of the executive branch of power, functions of parliament, judicial independence, and judicial review. 

The successful hire will be responsible for delivering effective instruction which reflects the current state of knowledge and the most updated NCA course outline, meeting students at scheduled times (except for reasonable change with due notice where possible), grading assignments fairly and objectively, providing timely and constructive feedback to students, responding to student enquiries and being available for student consultations.

Online Learning Information 

If you have questions about teaching Online Learning courses, please contact Jon Hind, Online Learning Prod Coordinator, at jhind@wlu.ca.

Qualifications – Required:  JD or LL.B., or preferred LL.M, and experience in teaching foundational Canadian Law courses.
Success in teaching foundations of Canadian law courses, experience in developing and/or teaching in an online environment, and a receptivity to accessible and inclusive pedagogical approaches that specifically embrace online learners are preferred, but not mandatory. Knowledge working with online platforms (MyLearningSpace by Desire2Learn, for example) would be an asset. 

Qualifications – Discipline: Law 

Qualifications - Areas of Specialization:  Evidence of teaching foundational courses of Canadian law is preferred. Experience in asynchronous and synchronous online teaching an asset.  

Salary: 9206.40 as per CA Article #25 + an additional 1/3 of an in-person stipend at 3068.8 for the second tutorial 

Application Deadline: May 2 2025 

Submit with Application: 
  

Required for All Applicants 

• CV  

• Candidate Application Form (CAF) 

Required for External Applicants 

• Names and Contact Information for Referees  

• Evidence of Good Teaching 

• Verification of highest degree 

Optional 

• Cover Letter 

• Teaching Dossier 

• Sample Course Outline (2-pages maximum) 

Applications can be addressed to: 

XLAW PTAC Hiring Committee 

Wilfrid Laurier University 

Waterloo, Ontario 

Please click the gold “Apply Now” button located on the top right hand side of the page.  

You will be asked to sign in if you have already created an account. If you are not a registered user you may create an account to apply to career opportunities. Once an account is created you will be able to sign in to apply for the position. 

This appointment is in accordance with the Contract Teaching Faculty and Part-time Librarians Collective Agreement, for which the Wilfrid Laurier Faculty Association (WLUFA) is the exclusive bargaining agent.  All applicants are assessed using both the “Appendix H: Assessment of CTF Candidates under 13.6.1” in the collective agreement and the program specific rubric, where applicable.  Candidates should review these documents and ensure the information required is easily accessible in the application.  

Please Note:

Candidate Application form (CAF) is used to apply to an individual posting and must be submitted with each application. The completed form is to be uploaded with all other application materials by the deadline listed in the course posting. Refer to Appendix I of the Contract Teaching Faculty Collective Agreement for further guidance about completing the CAF and Appendix H for details on how this form will be scored.

CTF Members (those who have taught a Laurier in the last 36 months) may wish to submit a single application to multiple course postings via the Posted Course Application Form (PCAF) Appendix G, which includes the CAF.  The link to the Faculty specific PCAF is included in the email notification of posted courses you would have received from the hiring department/program/area at Laurier. The PCAF is a separate form due within 5 days of the email notification of posted courses and is submitted via Qualtrics. Refer to this notification for the link to the PCAF. Members who do not submit a PCAF may apply for posted course through a separate application for each course. Refer to the collective agreement for additional information on the PCAF.

For Supplementary Remuneration for large classes or multi-section courses, see Article 28.3

Pursuant to Article 13.5 of the Collective Agreement for Contract Teaching Faculty (CTF) and Part-time Librarians, all applicants shall apply electronically. Applications must be received by 23:59 local time of the date on the posting.

Wilfrid Laurier University endeavors to fill positions with qualified candidates who have a combination of education, experience, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position while demonstrating Laurier's Employee Success Factors.

Diversity and creating a culture of inclusion is a key pillar of Wilfrid Laurier University's Strategic Academic Plan and is one of Laurier's core values. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from candidates from equity deserving groups. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at indigenous@wlu.ca. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity and Accessibility at equity@wlu.ca. We have strived to make our application process accessible, however if you require any assistance applying for a position or would like this job posting in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources at hr@wlu.ca.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.  In accordance with the requirements of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the successful applicants will be required to prove they are legally able to work in Canada.

Members of the designated groups must self-identify to the appropriate Dean(s) to be considered for employment equity.

All course offerings will be contingent on adequate student registration and subject to budgetary funding.

Members of the Contract Teaching Faculty bargaining unit:

Should you be interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit www.wlu.ca/careers for additional information and the online application system. All applications must be submitted online.

All applications shall be reviewed and considered under a set of criteria established by the part-time hiring committee.  Only those applicants recommended for a position will be contacted.