History 3203E: French Canada

Course Description

This seminar will focus on the major themes in the history of Quebec from the French regime until today. We will therefore cover such areas as society and culture in New France, the British Conquest of 1759, the Rebellions of 1837, the role of the Church in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the development of a nationalist ideology in the 1920s, the growth of the state during the 1960s, and the rise of the modern separatist movement. The themes of nationalism, culture, gender, and identity will inform many of the classes because they are very much at the heart of the narrative. We will strive to understand the shifts and continuities that have characterized Canadian, then French-Canadian, and then Quebec nationalism.

              Throughout the year we will consider ‘Quebec’ as a geographic entity and ‘French Canada’ as a culturally defined group within a political ‘space.’ The weekly meetings will constantly inform and challenge the meanings of such slippery concepts as identity and nationalism, and help us determine their usefulness as categories of analysis. This seminar will contribute to our understanding of Quebec’s history as well as to our understanding of the province’s role within Canada. With a firmer understanding of Quebec’s historical development, students will emerge from this course better equipped to follow and contribute to the debates over federalism and national identity that define both Canadian and Quebec life.

Texts

• Susan Mann, The Dream of Nation

• W.J. Eccles, The French in North America

• Allan Greer, The Patriots and the People

• Sean Mills, The Empire Within

• Graham Fraser, René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois in Power

• Ramsay Cook, Watching Quebec: Selected Essays

Additional readings to be made available on-line or on reserve

Evaluation

Review Essay                          15%

Research Essay                       35%

Take-home Exams                   30%

Participation                            20%

 

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General Information