Class sections will be divided between lectures and seminar discussions. The seminar discussion sessions will serve as a forum for the analysis and discussion of scholarly literature and as a testing ground for student hypotheses. The instructor will encourage students to elaborate, refine and revise ideas. Discussion sessions will also include tutorials in conducting historical research, the exploration of primary source documents, and practice in oral presentations. Participation in both lectures and seminar discussions is required for the successful completion of the course.
A sample course outline would include the following topics.
Note: Content may vary according to the instructor’s selection of topics.
- The World in 1867
- Creating the Nation State 1867-1880
- Prairie Treaties and Land Questions, The Indian Act and The Northwest Rebellion
- National Identity, Imperialism, Immigration and Culture
- Urban Expansion, Industrialization and Social Reform
- World War 1 and the Conscription Crisis
- The 1920s Bust Boom and Bust
- Canada in the Great Depression
- Canada at War, on the Front and at home
- Canada in the Post-War Boom
- The Quiet Revolution in Québec and New Social Movements
- Aboriginal People and the State
- Multiculturalism and Immigration
- Contemporary Canada
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Examine historical sources critically and analytically (reading history). These sources include not only survey texts and scholarly articles, but also short monographs and extended primary sources.
- Create and communicate personal interpretations of historical problems (writing history). Forms for communication of personal interpretations include medium-length essays (from 1500-3000 words), comparative book reviews, short interpretive essays, primary source studies, and final examinations.
- Independently analyze the ideas of other students and the instructor in class in both tutorials and seminars (discussing history).
Assessment will be in accord with the Douglas College student evaluation policy. Specific components of evaluation will include some of the following: mid-term and final exams consisting of short answer questions and essay questions; in-class written work, quizzes, research paper; seminar presentations; short debate/position papers; participation in class discussions.
Specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester and will vary according to the instructor’s assessment of appropriate evaluation methods.
An example of one evaluation scheme:
Any combination of the following totalling 100%
|
Primary document analyses |
20% |
|
Reading journals |
15% |
|
Research Essay |
15% |
|
Class/Seminar Participation |
15% |
|
Midterm examination |
15% |
|
Final examination |
20% |
|
Total |
100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
Texts will be chosen from the following list, to be updated periodically:
An instructor’s Course Reader may be required.
Blake, Raymond, Jeffrey Keshen, Norman Knowles, and Barbara Messamore. Narrating a Nation: Canadian History Post-Confederation. [Whidby, ON]: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2011.
Bumstead, J. M., The Peoples of Canada: A Post-Confederation History. 3rd ed. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Conrad, M., and A. Finkel, History of the Canadian Peoples. Vol. 2, 1967 to the Present. 5th ed. Toronto: Pearson Longman, 2009.
Francis, R. Douglas, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith. Destinies. 6th ed. Toronto: Nelson Education, 2008.
Thorner, Thomas, ed. “A Country Nourished on Self-Doubt”: Documents in Post-Confederation Canadian History. 3rd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010.