Pidhaieteska A. Student self-government at Canadian Universities

The dissertation is a comprehensive study that describes the legal framework, types, functions, and areas of work of student self-government in Canada. Based on comparative analysis practical recommendations have been made for the use of constructive Canadian experience in Ukraine. The periodization of the development of student self-government in Canada in the second half of the 22nd century – at the beginning of the 21st century has been proposed in the thesis for the first time. Legal regulations, functions, and range of activities of student self-government in Canada have been characterized. It has been revealed the role of Canadian students’self-government in partnership between university and community. Comparative analysis of Canadian and Ukrainian students’ civic activity and participation in university governance has been done based on the completed questionnaire. The recommendations have been made for the use of Canadian student self-government organization gained experience in Ukraine. Definitions of universal and specific terms of the thesis have been given. The source of the research has been analyzed. Little-known and unknown documents have been introduced into scientific parlance that allows us to expand knowledge about student self-governing functioning in Canada. By using retrospective and periodization methods, historical events have been analyzed which determined the peculiarities of students’ self-government at Canadian universities formation and development. The most characteristic features and trends of each period have been distinguished while defining its patterns. It is stated that starting from the second half of the 20th century, four periods of students` self-government at Canadian universities formation and development can be defined and divided into the pragmatic period (1946–1955), which is characterized by students’ movement orientation to meet the needs and interests of youths socially; autonomous period (1955–1981), with the focus on the autonomy of student self-government in certain provinces and the increase of influence of student organizations on university governance, anti-war movement; unifying period (1981–1995), which is oriented toward the unification of separate student organizations into Canadian Federation of Students; holistic period (1995 – to the present), arising from the specifiс coherent activity, close cooperation of student organizations and the expansion of the range of their activities.