
HIST 312 is a core seminar, which means it has two main goals. First, you will be introduced to important themes, questions, and fields of Canadian social history. Second, you’ll be introduced to the tools and methods used by historians. In other words, we will explore what we “know” about the social history of Canada, and, just as importantly, how and why we “know” it.
This course will focus on the social history of 20th century Canada. We’ll proceed roughly chronologically, but don’t expect a neat and tidy narrative of the Canadian past. Instead, we will be exploring the complexity of peoples’ lives with a particular focus on histories of race, gender, class, and colonialism. As we do this, there will also be regular workshops that will equip you with the skills needed to be successful in this course, and all future history courses.