Courses

Independent but guided reading and research in a specialized area of history of interest to students.

This seminar examines specific topics in the history of gender throughout the period known loosely as the modern world. The course is designed to clarify the process through which ideas of gender evolved and the ways in which masculinity and femininity have been constructed and experienced in a global context. The seminar also examines group interactions across lines of race, class, ethnicity, region, and religion and the influence of groups striving to assert their own identities on ideas of gender.

Examines the changing nature of, and approaches to, war and its effect on society from the ancient world to the present, including an assessment of various visions and proposals for peace. The course includes an assessment of historic and relatively recent armed conflicts, exploring the causes of contemporary conflict and some of its distinctive characteristics. It also evaluates the effectiveness of various strategies for preventing, abating and terminating current forms of conflict. Questions discussed include: Why do states go to war? How do they create a lasting peace? What role does morality play in foreign policy? What is our obligation to just peace or just war?

Human interaction with the environment is the most fundamental of all relationships. This course examines the different ways in which societies have defined, understood, and used their nonhuman surroundings and the processes through which the environment influences culture and adapts to human communities. Students explore the historical context of the human-nature interaction in global perspective and compare the ways in which the concepts of politics, nationalism, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, etc. inform and guide the relationship.

The study of history relies on the written and oral record of human experience. The use to which words have been put has varied over time ranging from the ancient world's innocent acceptance of recorded inventories and boastful heroic conquests, to the postmodern era where the text is not a bearer of truth but an instrument of power. This course traces the place of the text in the human effort to know and remember the past. Although the written text has been foundational for the study of the past, people have left other signs of their presence and we interact with other realities than the text. This course brings in additional disciplines including philosophy, literary criticism, biology, psychology, physics, and biblical studies.

A program of independent readings and research on a specific topic leading to a written paper for students choosing the European area. A research project involving the use of primary sources, archives, etc., for those choosing the North American area.

An examination of major developments in the society and culture of Canada with a particular spotlight on the diverse experience of the people who made Canada. The course highlights aspects of Canadian identity as seen through the lenses of gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion, and region. The focus is on the interaction between migrant groups and the host society, rural and urban societies, education and social reforms, labour and capital, and changing gender roles.

An overview of the formulation and trends of Canadian foreign policy in the period since Confederation. The domestic and external determinants of Canadian foreign policy, the nature of the foreign policy-making process, and the evolution of key themes in Canadian foreign policy.

An examination of special topics or issues in history that are not considered in depth in other courses.