Courses

Surveys the changing social, political, and cultural impact of war on Canada in the twentieth century. The course is divided into four sections—World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and Post-Cold War. In each section students examine Canadian responses to war and warfare and the impact of those responses in shaping Canadian politics (both domestic and foreign policy), society, and culture. Topics include defence, security, and Canadian nationalism; the role of imperialism and continentalism in influencing Canadian identity and Canadian foreign policy; Canada as a middle power and the shift to Canada as a no power; war and the changing role of women in Canadian society; and the creation of Canadian military myths.

Examines the history of First Nations in Canada from pre-contact with newcomers through to the present time. Broad economic, social, and political themes that intersect with the history of its original peoples is covered including early encounters, fur trade economy, governmental policy, Christianity and culture, education, reservations and land claims. It surveys the major eras—assimilation, protection, civilization, marginalization, and integration—by specifically highlighting the observations and experiences of First Nations.

An inquiry into the origins of European civilization. It examines what features from the ancient world survived the fall of Roman culture and the nature of the native Germanic and Slavic traditions. It looks at the way Christianity was received and altered. It looks at political, social, gender, and economic relationships and at the struggle between spiritual ideals on the one hand and traditional attitudes and material realities on the other.

Writing in the 1830s, Alex de Tocqueville noted the profound influence religion had upon the American populace, arguing that there are some who profess Christian dogmas because they believe them and others who do so because they are afraid to look as though they did not believe in them. So Christianity reigns without obstacles, by universal consent. At times, his comments continue to ring true, particularly with regard to the centrality of religious faith to the American experience. While not intended to be exhaustive, this course examines representative episodes in the history of religion in the United States, albeit largely in its Christian (and Protestant) form.

Canada is sometimes regarded as a more secular version of its American neighbour. Henry Alline, the late eighteenth century Nova Scotian revivalist, would not have agreed, for he believed that while Old and New England were engaged in a most inhuman war, a great redeemer nation was emerging in his corner of British North America. This course examines Canada's rich Christian heritage from the first European encounters with aboriginal peoples to contemporary times, with particular emphasis on the relationship between Christianity and the broad socio-political and intellectual history of the nation.

A study of the history of the Christian Church from the turn of the first century to the eve of the sixteenth century Reformation with attention to the persons, events, and issues involved in the major developments of Christianity.

Surveys the development of the Christian Church from the late medieval period through to the early twenty-first century. Key topics include: the Protestant and Catholic Reformations; the Great Awakenings and the rise of modern Evangelicalism, Fundamentalism, and the growth of modern missionary movements, along with a consideration of significant individuals, changes in theology, institutions, devotional practices, gender roles, and attempts to engage and shape culture.

This course examines some of the major themes in the history of the Arab Middle East since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. Primary emphasis is on the role played by issues of identity in the development of national structures in the Arab East (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States). Major themes include the nature of Islamic community, the structure and legacy of Ottoman rule, the post- Ottoman settlement and the impact of colonial rule, the emergence of nationalist politics and the growth of the contemporary Arab state system, oil and the politics of family rule in the Gulf States, and the relationship between religion and politics

Topics may vary. Courses offered to date include: Canada and War in the Twentieth Century.