CAN
217 BA: African-Canadian Studies
SCHEDULE
OF ACTIVITIES AND ASSIGNMENTS
Winter, 2012
Professor
Patricia Clark (Office: B3028; Tel: 491-5050, Ext. 22208)
The following list identifies general
topics scheduled for study this term. As we progress, we may
choose to alter, delete, or add topics according to the needs and
interests
of the class. In planning your work schedule, however, you should
consider
the assignment deadlines as fixed, unless otherwise notified.
Each
assignment
listed on this page is linked to a page which provides specific
guidelines
and a precise due date. Be sure to read these assignment pages
carefully.
This web page will be updated to
reflect
any changes to the schedule/deadlines that are agreed to by the class.
You are responsible for remaining informed of any changes.
WEEK
ONE: JANUARY
9-13
- Outline
of
CAN 217
course content, materials, assignments, etc.
- Challenges
for African
Canadians, Past and Present
- "No
Language
is Neutral":
Words to Express the "Black" Experience in Canada
- Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- The Blacks in Canada:
Prefaces, "Acknowledgements" &
- The Blacks in Canada:
"A Note on Terminology" & maps p. vii - xxviii" &
- The Blacks in Canada:
"The Black Tile in the Canadian Mosaic" p. 470 - 483 &
- The Blacks in Canada:
"A Note on Sources" p. 497 - 520 & "Appendix: How Many
Blacks
in Canada?" p. 484 - 496 or
- Towards Freedom: "Introduction"
p. 11 - 18 & Chapter 1: "Critical Times" p. 19 - 36
WEEK TWO: JANUARY 16
- 20
- Blacks in
17th and 18th Century New France
- Film: Fields of Endless Day (58 min.)
- Sources
of Information about African Canadians
- Reading: Choose from the
following texts.
- The Blacks in Canada:
"Slavery in New France, 1628 - 1760" p. 1 - 23 or
- The Freedom Seekers:
"Slaves and Slave Holders" p. 2 - 13
or
- Towards Freedom: Chapter 2 "In on the Ground Floor" p. 37 -
54
WEEK
THREE: JANUARY 23 - 27
- Black
Loyalist Settlement
in British North America during the 18th Century
- Research
Techniques
- Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- The Blacks in Canada:
"Slavery, the Loyalists, and English Canada, 1760 - 1801" p. 24 - 61 or
- The Freedom Seekers:
"Black
Colonies and Communities" p. 62 - 98 &
- The Freedom Seekers:
"Refugees
and Havens" p. 45 - 61or
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 2 "In on the Ground Floor" p. 37 - 54
WEEK FOUR: JANUARY
30 - FEBRUARY 3
- African-Canadian
Profile: Due Thursday February 2 (25%) : profile of a person or an organization from the African-Canadian community, past or present. The individual or organization could represent any one of our many social or professional categories such as urban or agrarian workers, social activists, homemakers, clergy, artists, authors, musicians, athletes, educators, politicians, lawyers, and soldiers. The individual need not be a "famous" or "accomplished" person. (See the assignment page for full details.)
- Blacks in
Early Atlantic
Canada
- Sierra
Leone:
The
"Back to Africa" Movement
- Film: Nova Scotia:
Against the
Tides (Hymn to Freedom Series: 58 min.)
- Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- The Blacks in Canada:
"'Back to Africa', 1791-1801" p. 61 - 95 or
- The Freedom Seekers:
"Blacks
and the Armed Forces" p. 110 - 125 or
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 3 "Safe Haven: Myth or Reality?" p. 55 - 74
WEEK FIVE:
FEBRUARY 6 - 10
- Flight
from
Slavery
in the U.S.
- Portraits of Black Communities in Upper Canada / Canada West (Ontario)
- Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- The Blacks in Canada:
"The Attack on Slavery in British North America, 1793 - 1833" p. 96 -
113 &
- The Blacks in Canada:
"The Refugee Negroes" p. 114 - 141 &
- The Blacks in Canada:
"The Canadian Canaan, 1842 - 1870" p. 178 - 132 or
- The Freedom Seekers:
"Opposition
to Slavery" p. 14 - 23
- The Freedom Seekers:
"The Road
to Freedom" p. 24 - 43 or
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 4 "The Struggle for Education" p. 75 - 89
WEEK SIX:
FEBRUARY 13 - 17
- Blacks in
the
West
in the 19th and early 20th Centuries
- African-Canadians
in the Early 20th Century: A Time of Building
- The
Brotherhood of
Sleeping Car Porters
- Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- The Blacks in Canada:
"West of the Rockies" p. 272 - 287 or
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 6 "Racism on the Plain" p. 102 - 119 or
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 5 "Black Canada: the Dormant Years" p. 90 - 101
WEEK SEVEN: FEBRUARY
20 - 24 (No class on Monday - Family Day)
- Review (book, film, drama, art exhibit, etc.) Due: Thursday February 24 (30%):
a summary, analysis, and evaluation of a film/book/play about or
closely
related to some aspect of the African-Canadian experience or created by
an African -Canadian (See the assignment page for full details.)
- African-Canadians
at War
- The
African-Canadian
Community in Montreal
- Film: Seeking Salvation: A History of the Black Church in Canada (90 min., 2004)
- Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search
of God, by
Djanet Sears.
- This book is compulsory reading.
Start now and be ready for the test in Week Ten.
- The Blacks in Canada:
"Source of Strength? - The Church" p. 337 -361 or
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 8 "Blacks, Human Rights and Legislation" p. 141 - 153
WEEK EIGHT:
STUDY WEEK: FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 2
- Reading: Choose from the
following texts.
- The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search
of God*, by Djanet Sears. and
- The Blacks in Canada:
"Source of Strength? - The Schools" p. 362 -389 or
- The Freedom Seekers:
"The Work-A-Day World" p. 162 - 177 "The Freedom Seekers"
(read portraits of Sophia Pooley - p. 191- and Mary Bibb - p.
201- , & the Shadd Family - p. 202) & "Blacks and the
Schools" p. 146 - 161 or
- Towards Freedom: Chapter 9 "Revolutionary Times in North
America" p. 154 - 171
WEEK NINE: MARCH
5 - 9
Research
Paper Proposal Due: Thursday March 8 (See
the assignment page for full details.)
The
African-Canadian
Woman, Past and Present
Film: Black
Mother, Black Daughter
(28 min.)
Reading: Choose from the
following
texts.
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 13 "To the Future" p. 243 - 269 or
- The Blacks in Canada:
"Source of Strength? - The Press" p. 390 - 412 or
- The Freedom Seekers: "The
Black
Press" p. 185 - 189 and
- The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search
of God by Djanet Sears.
WEEK TEN: MARCH
12 - 16
- Africville,
Nova Scotia
- Cole
Harbour, Nova Scotia
- Film: CBC News in
Review - December, 1997: Cole Harbour (17 min.)
- The
Nature of Racism
- Reading: Choose from the
following texts.
- The Adventures of a Black
Girl in Search of God by Djanet Sears. Finish reading the play
this week! and
- The Freedom Seekers:
"Justice and Injustice" p. 90 - 109 or
- Towards Freedom: Chapter 7 "The Black Community's Quest for
Self-Definition" p. 120 - 140
WEEK ELEVEN: MARCH
19 - 23
WEEK TWELVE: MARCH
26 - 30
- Discussion
of The
Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God
- African-Canadians
in Contemporary Canada
- Black
Youth
- Stephen
Lewis' Report
on Race Relations in Ontario (June, 1992)
- Reading:
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 12 "New Black Voices" p. 214 - 242
WEEK THIRTEEN: APRIL
2 - 6
- Review of Research Paper/Display Format: text, textual references, & bibliography
- African-Canadians
in Contemporary Canada
- Reading:
- Towards Freedom:
Chapter 11 "A Context for Change" p. 190 - 213
WEEK FOURTEEN: APRIL
9 - 13
- Research
Paper Due: Thursday April 12 (35%) : an analysis
of a significant issue, event, era, community, or organization in
African-Canadian
history or current events.
- Research Feedback: Students can receive last-minute
feedback/advice
on their research papers in class this week, in addition to the usual
assistance
available outside class. (See the assignment page for full details.)
- Film: In the Key of Oscar (94 min.)
WEEK FIFTEEN: APRIL
16 - 20
Exam
Week: There
is no exam in this course. But, remember, students must submit all
their term assignments to the professor and to SafeAssign to pass the course.