Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - HIST 436 D100

British Columbia (4)

New Pacific BC

Class Number: 3815

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 101 and 102W.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Select topics in the political, economic, social, and cultural histories of the lands presently known as British Columbia, encompassing diverse Indigenous peoples and newcomers. This course may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught.

COURSE DETAILS:

The New Pacific British Columbia

This tourism poster advertising Richmond BC and its pan-Asian “dumpling trail” as a “Pacific Authentic Experience” capitalizes on the transformation of British Columbia over the last six decades resulting from federal and provincial policies that sought and succeeded in attracting people and investment from Asia, impacting the lives of all residents of the province, no matter their background. Historians of Canada and British Columbia have only begun to explore the processes, dynamics, and impacts of this transformation, in which the Pacific (including the Indian Ocean) has replaced the Atlantic World as the most important global source of population, economic, social, and cultural influence and change.  In this class we will explore this transformation through the work of historians and scholars from other disciplines, as well as historical print media like newspapers and magazines, documentaries, classroom visitors, family oral history, and a field trip to the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

 

Grading

  • Informed and Enthusiastic Participation 20%
  • Reading Quizzes 10%
  • Primary Source Analysis and Presentation 15%
  • Term Paper: Proposal 5%
  • Term paper: Draft Introduction and Annotated Bibliography 15%
  • Term Paper: Final paper 35%

Materials

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.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Learn more about studing History at SFU:

History areas of study


Why study History?

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term 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.