HIST 279 takes a thematic approach to 20th-century Canadian history by focusing on key social and political movements. Attentive to intersectional factors such as race, colonialism, class, gender, and sexuality, the course examines how individuals, groups, and broad-scale movements pushed for change while navigating changing social, political, and legal landscapes. Students will investigate how multifaceted activist movements challenged gender norms, racial hierarchies, state schooling and immigration systems, and participated in transnational solidarity-building and Sixties movements both within and outside of Canada’s national borders. Students will learn about the historical contexts from which these movements emerged, how they were experienced and received, and how their legacies shaped modern Canada.
This is a lecture-based course designed to provide students with opportunities to develop historical skills in primary source analysis, research methodologies, and through critical engagement with historiographical questions and debates.