Courses

Examines the engagement of science and religion in western culture over the past five centuries. In 1896, Andrew Dickson White published his famous History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, a work that helped establish the belief that science and religion were irreconcilable domains. This course examines the validity of that claim from the Copernican revolution in the sixteenth century to the rise of the modern Creation Science movement, and aims to place the relationship between science and faith in a mature historical, scientific and theological context.

Examines the historical development of the family beginning with the ancient world up to 1600. A central inquiry is the formation of families and households, as well as the impact of religion on gender and family roles. The course also explores the use of power and coercion in the organization of family and includes an inquiry into contemporary gender theory but concentrates on the lives and ideas of actual persons insofar as the historical record reveals them.

Examines the historical development of the family from 1600 to the present day. A central inquiry is the formation of families and households, as well the impact of religion on gender and family roles. The course also explores the use of power and coercion in the organization of family and includes an inquiry into contemporary gender theory but concentrates on the lives and ideas of actual persons insofar as the historical record reveals them.

This course is designed to survey a historical period in greater depth while introducing students to related primary and secondary sources. Students are familiarized with major themes, events, and issues of interpretation in the history of early modern England. Particular attention is paid to two developments that transformed English life: the religious reformations of the sixteenth century, and the civil war and political revolutions of the seventeenth century. These and other topics are explored through close readings of primary sources. Students also consider various methodological and theoretical approaches that have influenced the way that modern historians have analyzed and explained this period in English history.

This course is designed to survey a historical period in greater depth while introducing students to related primary and secondary sources. Students will become familiar with major themes, events, and issues of interpretation in the history of European history during the long nineteenth century from the French Revolution to the onset of the Great War. It explores key movements and themes in political, intellectual, gender, and socioeconomic history through lectures, discussion groups, and the close readings of primary and secondary sources. Students will also consider various methodological and theoretical approaches that have influenced the way that modern historians have analyzed and explained this period in European history.

Explores issues in the history of British Columbia from its earliest beginnings to the early 2000s. In particular, the province's move from regionalism, to provincialism, to internationalism is explored by examining many of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces of change that shape the West Beyond the West in Canada. The lectures, readings, and discussions focus on specific aspects of BC's history that particularly enlighten us about the character of the region, its unique place in Canadian history, and how these events have shaped the province today.

A historical and political analysis of the major steps leading to the present constitution, including landmark court cases, attempted and successful amendments (Constitution Act 1981, the Meech Lake Accord, the Charlottetown Accord, etc) and various historical acts both prior to and post-Confederation.

This course examines selected Canadian authors (George Grant, Will Kymlicka, and Charles Taylor most prominently) who have contributed significantly to the development of Canadian political discourse. Topics include federalism, multiculturalism, and national identity. The systematic study of these particular authors aids in understanding the development of Canadian political thought. The first part of the course provides the intellectual history to enable an effective study of George P. Grant, Will Kymlicka, and Charles Taylor through a careful reading of Fierlbeck, Political Thought in Canada: An Intellectual History.

Examines 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 settlers and Indigenous peoples, migrant groups, and the host society, rural and urban societies, education and social reforms, labour and capital, and changing gender roles.