Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2023 - HIST 330W D100

Controversies in Canadian History (4)

Representing Queer Canada

Class Number: 3239

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2023: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units, including six units of lower division history.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of selected topics in Canadian history. The content will vary from offering to offering. See department for further information. HIST 330W may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught. Students may not take selected topics within HIST 330W for further credit if duplicating content of another history course and vice versa. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

Canadian Controversies: Monuments, Memorialization, and the Queer Past

During the cold war, the Canadian government actively sought to identify and fire “homosexuals” based on the false assertion that they threatened national security. This practice, which came to be called the “LGBT Purge,” continued until 1992 when Michelle Douglas, a lesbian in the military, won a court challenge. Those who were fired as a result of “the purge” recently received a financial settlement and have decided to use some of those funds to erect a monument to honor queer people who endured this as well as other forms of oppression, and to celebrate their survival and resistance. In this course, we take the Purge Monument as an opportunity to consider the complex dynamics of representing past events.

Students will engage with recent queer and public histories, with a special emphasis on monuments, including those of John A. Macdonald and Egerton Ryerson in Canada. This course will be of particular interest to students interested in a career in the public history sector, teaching, or serving queer people in any capacity.

Grading

  • Short Response Paper #1 15%
  • Short Response Paper #2 20%
  • 12-15 page Research Essay 35%
  • Short reflection paper at the conclusion of the course 5%
  • Participation, including class trips, accounts towards final grade 25%

NOTES:

Costs associated with this course: Adrienne Burk’s Speaking for a Long Time (Vancouver: UBC Press 2010) [list price $32.95, available in the SFU Bookstore and online via the SFU Library]; cost of walking tour, TBA [approx $40].

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Adrienne Burk’s Speaking for a Long Time (Vancouver: UBC Press 2010)

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.