Course Description

HY 200 Topics in History: Quebec (in Canada)
Dennis McEnnerney and Tip Ragan
Block A: 23 May - 12 June.
1 CC unit (4 semester hours). One unit of social science credit.

This course will investigate the history and culture of Quebec as it celebrates in 2011 the 403rd anniversary of its founding. From its birth, "la belle province" has been multicultural and ambivalent: native American and European; French and British; francophone and mixed, with immigrants from Ireland, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean speaking other languages; Catholic and anticlerical; at the heart of Canada, tied to the United States, and refusing to identify with either. This course will explore Quebec's geography and history; its rich cultural heritage, including literature, art and film; and its contentious politics and distinctive philosophy.

Beginning with a week in beautiful walled Quebec City, one of the oldest and most European-influenced cities of the New World, we will study the complex relations between French missionaries, fur traders, and settlers and the native peoples of the region, including the Inuit. The week will include visits to the Plains of Abraham, where in 1759 and 1760 the British succeeded in conquering New France, and to the Museum of Civilization, which commemorates the struggles to maintain a francophone identity in North America.

The first weekend, we will trek around and over the striking Montmorency waterfall (tallest in North America) and visit the Ile d'Orleans, an island just outside of Quebec City in the St. Lawrence Seaway, known for its artisanal agricultural production including that of maple syrup, cheese, wine, cider, and the like. Then the class will travel to Baie Ste.-Catherine at the confluence of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Saguenay River to whale-watch. We will spend several days at L'Anse St.-Jean, where instructors will introduce the class to kayaking, the primary mode of long-distance transportation in New France and early Canada. The second week will begin with a train trip from the traditional heart of francophone Quebec to the cosmopolitan bilingual center of the modern Canadian province.

We will spend a week in Montreal, exploring the diverse neighborhoods, communities, and subcultures of the megalopolis. Focusing on the history of one of Canada's most dynamic cities, we will examine the rise of the industrial and commercial state and the emergence of debates over federalism, multiculturalism, and Quebecois exceptionalism.

The course will close with four days in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital, just across the river from Gatineau (formerly Hull), Quebec. In Ottawa, we will visit the Museum of Canadian Civilization and consider the future relationship of Quebec to Canada and the rest of North America.

Program fee: US $2,400, including all expenses except for regular meals (bring $700 for them) and for transportation to and from Quebec (also not included). A $500 course deposit is required upon enrollment. Colorado College students are eligible to apply for financial aid through Summer Session (intercultural funds), the Financial Aid office, and the History Department. It will be distributed according to financial need. For more information on deposits and fees, visit the Summer Session financial information page.

Prerequisites: Consent of instructors. Enrollment is limited to 14 students. To apply, click here to download the application form (in Word). Please complete the application and return it to the instructors as soon as possible. See below for the instructors' email addresses.

Photo: Christchurch Anglican Cathedral, Montreal. Scroll over to see Quebec City from the harbor, during the day.