We’ve compiled a short list of some of our popular courses:

HIS 108 A Global History of Indigenous Peoples: This introductory course is designed to acquaint students with the global processes of contact and colonization through the presentation of colonial and post-colonial theory and the examination of specific case studies within Asia, Africa and North America. While largely historical in content, guest speakers and other resources will be used to expose students to interdisciplinary approaches to studying these continuing phenomena.

HIS 241 Canada and the World in the 20th Century: Topics include Canada and imperialism, the two world wars, the development of Canadian foreign policy, the golden age of Canadian diplomacy, Canada and the League of Nations, and the United Nations.

HIS 206 The History of Night: An Exploration of the ‘Darker’ Side of Life: Half of our existence as human beings resides in the night, and while most of that time is spent sleeping, the night has been a dominant presence in our waking lives as well. Night-time has historically been associated with criminality, ghosts and goblins, and sexual deviance, but the night-sky has also represented contemplation of eternity and our beginnings. This course will explore ideas of night as an historical subject of inquiry. It will examine the various ways that night has been culturally constructed as an object of fear but also as a place of inspiration and wonder.

HIS 242 History of Animals: Prey, Predator and Partner: This course explores the various ways in which humans have interacted with animals throughout modern history. Human understandings of animals, whether as predators, prey or partners will be examined, as will changing societal attitudes over the treatment of animals, as reflected, for example, in the rise of animal welfare and animals rights organizations. While the focus will be on North America, examples from other continents may be included.

HIS 391 Archival or Institutional Internship: Unpaid internship in a local archival repository or other institution under the joint supervision of an archivist or other representative and a member of faculty. Students will be evaluated on the completion of pre-established objectives and must be prepared to perform a variety of projects such as writing a major report, preparing an archival inventory or a finding aid.

HIS 208 History of Torture: From the mutilated body as a form of public warning in the pre-modern world and the use of legal torments in medieval trials to the extra judicial application of torture in various modern contexts, this course examines the history of torture from a thematic perspective. In particular, the course will analyze the changing factors that shaped how societies across time and space resorted to such extreme measures. This will include torture in jurisprudence and practice, changing scientific understandings of the body and pain, the involvement of state and nonstate actors in rationalizing and employing torture, and the sociocultural aspects informing its application, whether in the private or public realms.

HIS 250 The American Civil War and Reconstruction: This course surveys events contributing to sectional strife in the late antebellum period and explores scholarly interpretations of both the Civil War and Reconstruction. It also deals with how these formative periods have been remembered by succeeding generations of Americans. The course examines the military campaigns and draws on recent advances in social, cultural, and African American history to study the home fronts and identify social changes in both the North and South that help to provide new perspectives on Emancipation, the politics of Reconstruction, and the onset of Redemption.

HIS 253 A History of Medieval Europe: This course is an introduction to the history of Europe from the breakdown of the ancient world to the beginning of Modern Europe. After a survey of the Germanic, Roman and Christian roots of medieval society, special attention is given to those institutions and developments which characterized the civilization of the high Middle Ages: the 12th century renaissance, the Christian ideal, the medieval university, relations between church and state, feudal society, the crusades, chivalry and the medieval style in the fine arts.

HIS 256 Latin America 1800 to the Present: This course will survey the history of Latin America and the Caribbean from c. 1800 to the present day. The course will deal with the major social, economic and political processes of the period. The class will also provide insight into problems of development and underdevelopment as well as a discussion of the movements for social change.

HIS 267 History of Sport in Canada: This course will examine the development of Indigenous, recreational, and professional sports in Canada. It will include examinations of specific themes within sports history such as gender, race and colonialism, and it will examine sport’s contributions to the creation of national identities. Additionally, it will provide an historical view of specific contemporary issues like violence and drug use in sports, and its use as an agent of international diplomacy.

HIS 394 The Social History of Disease in the West: This seminar course will explore the construction of disease and its social and political repercussions by focusing on specific epidemics that have indelibly left their mark on the West. In particular, students will utilize primary sources within a corpus of historical literature to unravel the complex interactions brought about by epidemics such as the Black Death in Medieval Europe, Syphilis across the Early Modern World, Smallpox in the Americas, and most recently AIDS.

For the complete list of courses, see the Academic Calendar.