HISTORY 111: PRE-CONFEDERATION CANADA

North Island College

Fall 2006

Meeting Times: TTH 2:30-3:50 p.m.

Meeting Times: Tyee 205, Comox Valley Campus

Instructor: Dan Hinman-Smith

Office: Village G6

Office Hours: TTH Noon-1:30 p.m. (or by appointment)

Office Phone: 334-5000, Extension 4024

Home Phone: 703-0673 (Do not hesitate to call with course-related questions)

Web-Site: http://www.misterdann.com/contentspreconfederation.htm

E-Mail: dhinman@telus.net

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK 1

Thursday, September 7

a)  Introductory Video: "Je Me Souviens"

WEEK 2: Textbook Reading: Chapter 1, "The First Peoples," Origins; Chapter 2, "The Europeans' Arrival," Origins.

Tuesday, September 12

a)  Discussion: Who Killed Canadian History?

b)  Start Movie: "Black Robe" (2002)

Reading Assignment:

Assignment Due: Letters of Introduction

Thursday, September 14

a)  Angelique And The Burning Of Montreal Assignment Introduced

b)  Finish "Black Robe"

WEEK 3: Textbook Reading: Chapter 3: "The Beginnings of New France," Origins; Chapter 4, "The Iroquois, the Hurons and the French," Origins.

Tuesday, September 19

a)  The Beginnings Of New France, 1524-1663

Thursday, September 21

a)  A New Society Takes Shape: New France, 1663-1760

b)  "I Have Lived Here Since The World Began": Time, Place And First Nations History

c)  Discussion: Haida Repatriation

Reading Assignment:

 

WEEK 4: Textbook Reading: Chapter 5, "Province de France,1663-1760," Origins; Chapter 7, "The Anglo-French Struggle For A Continent," Origins.

Tuesday, September 26

a)  Video: "Life After Ile Ste. Croix" (2006)

Thursday, September 28

a)  CLASS WORKSHOP: Angelique And The Burning Of Montreal (Great Unsolved Mysteries In Canadian History)

WEEK 5: Textbook Reading: Chapter 6, "The Acadians," Origins; Chapter 8, "The Aftermath of the Conquest of Quebec, 1760-1774," Origins.

Tuesday, October 3

a)  Acadian Culture And Historical Memory

b)  Discussion:  The Acadians And Canadian History

Reading Assignment:

Thursday, October 5

a)  Dreams Of Empire; Memories Of Conquest: The French And English Struggle For Control Of The Continent, 1660-1760

Reading Assignment:

WEEK 6: Textbook Reading: Chapter 9, "Quebec Society in the Late Eighteenth Century," Origins; Chapter 10, "Maritime Society, 1760-1815," Origins.

Tuesday, October 10

a)  Student Mini-Presentations: A Window on Canada

b)  Immigrants And Refugees: Loyalists And The American Revolution

 

A Loyalist woodcutter at Shelburne, Nova Scotia (1788)

Thursday, October 12

a)  Video: "A Questions Of Loyalties: 1775-1815," Volume 5 of Canada: A People's History

WEEK 7: Textbook Reading: Chapter 11, "Britain's First Upland Colony: Upper Canada, 1791-1815," Origins; Chapter 12, "Rebellion and Change on the St. Lawrence," Origins.

Tuesday, October 17

a)  The War of 1812 and the Canadian Historical Imagination

a)  Video: "War Of 1812"

b)  Video:  "The West"

Reading Assignment:

The Battle of Queenston Heights and the Death of Sir Isaac Brock, Oct. 1812

 

Thursday, October 19

a)  The War Of 1812 And The Canadian Historical Imagination

b)  Discussion: The War Of 1812 In The News

c)  The Plains Of Abraham And Historical Memory

Reading Assignment:

WEEK 8: Textbook Reading: Chapter 13, "Upper Canada, 1815-1840: An Evolving Identity," Origins.

Tuesday, October 24

a)  Mini-Presentations: This Day In Canadian History

b)  Empire Of The Bay And The Nor'westers: A History Of The Fur Trade

***FIRST PORTFOLIO DUE

Thursday, October 26

a)  "I Found Two Nations Warring In the Bosom of A Single State": The Rebellions Of 1837 In Historical Context

Reading Assignment:

WEEK 9: Textbook Reading: Chapter 14, " The Union of the Canadas: Political Development, 1840-1864," Origins.

Tuesday, October 31

a)  Video: "Sisters In The Wilderness"

Thursday, November 2

a)  People And Place At Mid-Century

WEEK 10: Textbook Reading: Chapter 15, "The Union of the Canadas: Economic and Social Developments, 1840-1864," Origins.

Tuesday, November 7

a)  Private Lives And Public Roles: Women In British North America, 1790-1850

Reading Assignment:

Thursday, November 9

a)  Discussion: The Novel As History? -- Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace

WEEK 11: Textbook Reading: Chapter 16, "The Maritime Colonies, 1815-1864," Origins; Chapter 17, "Newfoundland To the 1860s," Origins.

Tuesday, November 14

a)  Video: "Freedom's Land -- Canada And The Underground Railroad" (2004) [52 minutes]

b)  Discussion: Slavery And Canadian History

Thursday, November 16

a)  The West Beyond The West: The History Of British Columbia

Prospecting for gold

WEEK 12: Textbook Reading: Chapter 18, "The Northwest To the 1860s," Origins; Chapter 19, "The Pacific Coast To the 1860s," Origins .

Tuesday, November 21

a)  Video: "Visions From The Wilderness -- The Art Of Paul Kane" (2002) [50 minutes]

Thursday, November 23

a)  Discussion: Klatsassin And The Chilcotin War (Great Unsolved Mysteries In Canadian History)

WEEK 13: Textbook Reading: Chapter 20, "The Road To Confederation," Origins.

Tuesday, November 28

a)  The Road To Confederation, 1861-1867

Thursday, November 30

a)  Discussion And Student Role Play: The Confederation Debate

b) Video Clips: "The Great Enterprise: 1850-1867,) Volume 8 of Canada: A People's History

 

Reading Assignment:

  : Includes extensive material about the debates leading up to Confederation.

 : Another excellent site that focusses in on the Prince Edward Island conference.

WEEK 14

Tuesday, December 5

a)  From Sea To Sea: Consolidating Confederation, 1867-1873

Thursday, December 7

a)  Final Exam Review

BOOKS

Required Texts: R. Douglas Francis et al., Origins: Canadian History to Confederation, 4th edition (Scarborough: Nelson Thompson Learning, 2002).

Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1996).

EVALUATION

Letter of Introduction                               1%

First-Half Portfolio                                     30%

Alias Grace                                                 19%

Second-Half Portfolio                              15%

Class Participation                                   10%

Final Exam                                                  25%

 

a.  Letter of Introduction (1%)

Who are you? Where are you from? What are your interests? Why are you taking this course? Do you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions as we start the course? Write two or three informal paragraphs for the second class of the semester to introduce yourself to me.

b.  First-Half Portfolio (30%)

There will be a number of small projects coordinated to serve as a basis for in-class discussion.  These mini-assignments will be folded into an on-going course portfolio. The portfolio will be graded in two installments. The first installment will be due at the mid-point of the course; the second will be due at the end of the semester.

Components of the First-Half Portfolio will include the Window On Canada assignment (20%), the This Day in Canadian History calendar (40%), the Angelique and the Burning of Montreal analysis (20%), and one reading response analyzing a required reading or a History in the News discussion topic (20%).  There will be the bonus option of writing one or two extra reading responses, each which will be worth a maximum of 3% added to your First-Half Portfolio grade.

c. Alias Grace (19%)

You will be expected to write one short essay of approximately 4-to-5 pages assessing Margaret Atwood's novel as an historical source.

d. Second-Half Portfolio (15%)

Components of the Second-Half Portfolio will include the Klatsassin and the Chilcotin War analysis (50%), the Confederation Debate summary (25%), and one reading response (25%).  As with the First-Half Portfolio, there will be the bonus option of writing one or two extra reading responses, each which will be worth a maximum of 3% added to your Second-Half Portfolio grade.

e. Class Participation (10%)

The class participation grade will be based upon attendance; pre-class preparation; and the willingness to contribute thoughtfully to discussion.

Students' willingness to put forth consistent effort and to share their ideas with others is as important in determining the success of a course as the instructor's performance.  However, in any class, and particularly in a larger one, the assigning of a participation grade can become quite arbitrary.  In this course, those students who stand out through consistent contribution to full-class and small-group discussion will be rewarded with a top participation grade.  Although attendance is not required, I will take roll, and those who are not in class regularly will receive a poor grade for this component of the course.  Those students who attend regularly  but who do not excel in discussion will not receive a designated class participation grade but will instead have their 90-point grade for their written work pro-rated to 100) of their grade.

f. Final Exam (25%)

The final exam will ask you to write paragraph-long answers analyzing the significance of individual historical terms. A detailed preparation  sheet will be handed out in advance. The class text will serve as a basic resource.