Course description
HIST 2245: Canadian-American Relations: explores the Canada-United States relationship – politically, economically, environmentally, and culturally – from the colonial era to the present. Topics include: Indigenous societies and the consequences of colonialism; the origins, impact, and outcomes, from a North American perspective, of such military conflicts as the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the United States Civil War, the World Wars, and the Cold War; campaigns for and against continental economic integration; ecological transformations and crises; and the trials and triumphs, in both Canada and the United States, of marginalized communities, including women, workers, peoples of colour, and sexual minorities.
Course content
1. Indigenous Cultures, European Empires, and the Creation of Settler Societies to 1763
2. The Unmaking of the First British Empire and the American Revolution, 1763-1783
3. The Continuing Revolution, 1783-1815
4. Manifest Destinies, 1815-1854
5. Conflict and Consolidation, 1854-1885
6. Imperial Rivalry, 1885-1914
7. Canadian and American Perspectives on the Great War, 1914-1919
8. Interwar Upheaval, 1919-1939
9. North America’s Second World War, 1939-1945
10. Continental Integration I, 1945-1965
11. Ambivalent Allies, 1965-1984
12. Continental Integration II, 1984-1993
13. The ‘End of History,’ 1993-2001
14. Canadian-American Relations Since 2001
Learning activities
Classroom instruction will include both lectures and seminar discussions. Lectures will provide instruction on weekly topics with opportunities for student inquiry and discussion. Seminars will encourage active class participation in the analysis of assigned primary and secondary readings. Classroom instruction may also include student presentations on specific readings and/or topics, and other types of student-led activities. Classroom instruction may also include tutorials and workshops on transferrable skills, including research methods, academic citation practice, and presentation