Course Outline – Winter 2007

Monday / Wednesday / Friday – HC L3 – 10:00-10:50am
www.ualberta.ca/~sgouglas/Hist261/

Instructor: Sean Gouglas
Telephone: 492-3021
Office: Tory 2-77 Office Hours: Monday 1 - 3
Website: www.ualberta.ca/~sgouglas
E-mail*: sean.gouglas@ualberta.ca

*E-mail can easily occupy an extraordinary amount of time, especially when I am asked to review topics and course concepts that were discussed in class. Please only use email for course minutia. If you have course content questions, please come and see me during my office hours or set up an appointment. I’m sorry, but I simply cannot answer course content questions over email.

Summary:

This course deals with the more important themes of Canadian history from Confederation in 1867 to the 1970s. This course and HIST 260 together constitute a complete survey of Canadian history and provide a foundation for senior and advanced courses in the subject.

Text Requirements:

There are a number of required texts for this course, which are available in the bookstore. You are strongly encouraged to scour used bookstores for any of these books in order to reduce your costs. This is particularly true for the required supplemental readings. You might try www.abebooks.com, which is an online resource detailing the contents of thousands of used bookstores in Canada and the US.

Text Books:

1. Bumsted, J. M. The Peoples of Canada: A Post-Confederation History. Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
2. Hesketh, Bob and Chris Hackett. Canada: Confederation to Present – An Interactive History of Canada. Chinook Multimedia. This CD-Rom is available through the bookstore.

Required Supplemental Readings:

1. Bogue, Allan C. The Farm on the North Talbot Road. Any edition.
2. MacLennan, Hugh. Two Solitudes. Any edition.
3. MacLeod, Alistair. No Great Mischief. Any edition.
4. Stegner, Wallace. Wolf Willow. Any edition.

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Class Schedule and Readings:

Each week will cover one particular theme or topic in Canadian history. For each Friday class (with a few exceptions), you are required to read and makes notes on an article from the multimedia CD-Rom. Please come to class prepared to discuss the content of the article.

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Evaluation:

The University Calendar states, “Grades reflect judgements of student achievement made by instructors. These judgements are based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in class.” As such, the following mathematical distribution of grades should be viewed as guideline for course evaluation.

Participation (10% of total grade).

On most Fridays, you are required to read an article from the multimedia CD-Rom. Please come to class prepared to discuss the content of the article. If you are very uncomfortable speaking in front of others, you may submit a one page evaluation (not a summary) of the reading at the beginning of that class, which will count as your participation for that class.

Major Paper (35% of total grade) – Due March 12th.

Students are required to complete a term paper of approximately 12 to 15 doubled-spaced, typewritten pages (hand-written papers will not be accepted). The paper should address and discuss a topic appropriate to the course. Potential topics will be discussed in the second class. Students are encouraged to use secondary sources for the paper, although primary source might also be considered. You would be well served by discussing your essay with the instructor well in advance of the due date.

Mid-term Exam (20% of total grade) – Distributed February 12th in class, due February 16th in class or earlier.

The mid-term exam will be a take home exam. The exam will be distributed in class on February 12th and is due February 17th in class or earlier. All readings and lectures, as well as Wolf Willow and The Farm on the North Talbot Road are fair game for the exam.

Final Exam (35% of total grade) – Date to be determined.

The final exam will be three hours long and will be comprised of some form of short-answer questions and a number of essay questions. All readings, lectures, fiction, and non-fiction are fair game for the exam.

Deadlines:

The standing policy for late papers in this course is somewhat unusual, but straightforward. The essay is due March 12th. If you hand your paper in on or before this day (either in class or at the Department of History & Classics by the end of business), your paper will be graded with comments. If you hand your paper in by March 19th, then your paper will simply be graded without comments. No papers will be accepted after March 19th. Extensions may be granted for medical or significant personal reasons.

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Grading System:

The following table illustrates the grading system that will be used for this course:

Student’s Responsibilities:

Your behaviour as a student of the University of Alberta is governed by the Code of Student Behaviour outlined in the Calendar, Appendix A. Please make yourself familiar with its contents. In addition, students enrolled in this course have the following responsibilities:

1. Students should come to each class each week having completed the readings.
2. Students should participate actively in the classroom discussion.
3. Students should respect the opinions of their peers even though the frank exchange of ideas can often result in a heated discussion.
4. Students will prepare a major paper that upholds the academic standards of undergraduate work at the University of Alberta.

Academic Dishonesty:

1. “Policy about course outlines can be found in ' 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.” (GFC 29 SEP 2003).
2. “The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” (GFC 29 SEP 2003)
3. Nothing in the course outline, syllabus or course web-site may override or contravene any Calendar regulation or GFC policy. In resolving any discrepancy, GFC policy and Calendar regulations will take precedence. (GFC 29 SEP 2003).
4. You can find an abridged version of this document attached to this syllabus

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SUMMARY

TEXTS

CLASS SCHEDULE

EVALUATION

GRADING SYSTEM

RESPONSIBILITIES

COURSE RESOURCES:

ESSAY TOPICS: