Special Topics Courses, Courses Identified as Issues, Themes
History Department Special Topics courses currently offered, as well as courses exploring historic issues.
Fall Semester 2021
Graduate Course HIST 5731 FDE: Research Methods Dr. Michael Stevenson
This course provides an overview of historiographic trends within the discipline of history since the end of the Second World War and examines various methodological approaches to the study of Canadian history emphasizing the use of primary sources.
Graduate Course HIST 5731 FDF: Colonialism and Neocolonialism Dr. Ronald Harpelle
This course explores themes in the history of colonialism and neo-colonialism in the modern world. Among the main themes are the idea of colonialism, the role of colonialism in the domination of capitalism; politics, revolution and counter-revolution; and the dynamics of change at the dawn of the 21st Century. Students are first introduced to concepts of colonialism and the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. Then, the course focuses on neo-colonialism in the post-colonial world and examines the political, economic and social spheres in which it is exercised.
Full Year Courses 2021-22
HIST 4301 YA: Issues in Canadian History Dr. C. Nathan Hatton
Issues in Canadian History will provide students an opportunity to examine, in depth, selected events in Canadian history and their varying historical interpretations. Utilizing a modular-based approach, students will gain an appreciation for how specific issues have resonated throughout time and place in Canadian history. They will also undertake a detailed course-long ‘specialization’ on an issue or subject of their own choosing with the goal of understanding its unique nuances as well as its larger implications.
HIST 4820 YDE: International Conflict and Human Rights Dr. Valerie Hébert
This is a special cross offering from Interdisciplinary Studies. Students will engage advanced theoretical concepts in International Conflict and Human Rights, and employ interdisciplinary research methodologies in the area. Topics covered will vary according to the research expertise of the course instructor or instructors.
HIST 4820 YDF: Imperialism in the Modern World Dr. Pallavi Das
This seminar course examines imperialism in the modern world from 1750 to the present. Apart from familiarizing students with various theories of imperialism, the course explores different forms of imperialism such as colonialism, neo-colonialism, the American empire and new imperialism. The main objective of the course is to understand how imperialism as a historical process shaped the modern world.
HIST 4820 YDG: Latin America Through an American Lens Dr. Ronald Harpelle
This course focuses on the United States and its relationship with Latin America in the twentieth century. Students are offered a multi-faceted understanding of the relationship between the United States and the governments, societies and cultures of Latin America. The course will address the quest for economic development; politics, revolution and counter-revolution; and the dynamics of change at the dawn of the 21st Century.
Winter Semester 2022
HIST 3811 WDE: Canadian Foodways in History Mrs. Beverly Soloway
This course examines the history of Canadian foods and foodways, focusing on how social expectations, global influences, food technologies, geographies, urban and rural influences, and cookbooks have shaped Canadian food identity. Weekly readings are accompanied with assignments that help students explore the history of Canadian foodways.
HIST 4811 WA / with Graduate Course HIST 5731 WA: A Liberal Nation? Canada 1935-1957 Dr. Michel Beaulieu
An exploration of Canadian political history from the federal election of 1935 to 1957. Seminar discussions will focus on how federal governments envisioned the country and devised and implemented various policies. While the course will primarily focus on national issues, attention will also be paid, when possible, to the implications for Northern Ontario.
Graduate Course HIST 5731 WB: Canadian National Narratives Dr. C. Nathan Hatton
This course will explore the growth of Canadian History as an academic discipline with a focus on how key historians over the last century in both English and French Canada have conceived of, or interpreted, Canada’s national development.
Description for Courses - Religious Studies
Fall Semester 2021
RELI 2715 FDE: South Asian Religions-Hinduism,Buddhism,Sikhism Dr. Brian Dunn
This course is an in-depth survey of three South Asian religious traditions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Students will be introduced to some of the most important figures, narratives, texts and ideas of the Indian Subcontinent. Through regularly assigned readings from the primary texts of the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, Tripitaka, the Mahayana Prajnaparamita, Tibetan tantras, and the Guru Granth Sahib, students will have the opportunity to discuss and critically engage with the beliefs and practices of the living traditions of over 20% of the world's population.
Winter Semester 2022
RELI 2715 WDE: Abrahamic Religions-Judaism,Christianity, Islam Dr. Brian Dunn
This course is an in-depth survey of the three traditions of Abraham – Judaism, Christianity and Islam - the living traditions of over half of the world's population. Students will be introduced to the key figures, narratives, and ideas of the Fertile Crescent, the Near East and Arabian Peninsula. Through assigned readings from the primary texts of the Torah, the Hebrew Prophets and Writings, the Gospels, the Apostolic letters, the Qur’an and the Hadith, students will gain an understanding of the shared historical and narrative foundation of all three traditions and have the opportunity to respectfully and critically engage with some of the most important cultural and geo-political issues in the world today.