HIST 460: Topics in Canadian History: The History of the Rocky Mountain National Parks Fall Term, 2009 Department of History and Classics, Faculty of Arts Thursdays, 9:00 to 11:50 a.m., Room TB 2-58 Instructor: Zac Robinson, PhD Course Moodle: http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/historyandclassics/moodle/ Keyword (case sensitive): iron spike Office Hours: after class and by appointment; as well, Dr Robinson normally will reply to email postings sent between Monday and Saturday noon. Email: zac.robinson@ualberta.ca ______________________________________________________________________________ Course Description On November 7, 1885, a white-bearded Donald Smith pounded home the last iron spike to complete the nation-wide Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), grandly opening the west and its mountains to what the CPR’s general manager referred to as “the class that travels.” In June, 1886, when the first transcontinental passenger train chugged its way up the grade of the Rockies’ eastern front, the stage was set, technologically at least, for a new age of Victorian tourism. This course will explore the history of the Rocky Mountain National Parks, including such themes as the expulsion of Native groups in order to create "wilderness," the mapping and legislation of protected areas, and the troubled history of the relation between the symbolic role of parks in national identity and Parks Canada's record of managing them as sites for resource extraction, as pleasure grounds for the rich, and as "unimpaired" wildlife habitats. Course work will develop a critical knowledge base about the history of the Rocky Mountain National Parks, and enhance a scholarly approach to critical thinking, debate, reading, research, and effective written and presentation skills. Comparison with the history and function of parks in other areas of Canada or in other countries will be welcome. Course Objectives to gain exposure to scholarly literature on the history of the ideas of nature/culture and “wilderness”; and how they’ve shaped the way many have come to think about Canada, mountain spaces, protected areas, conservation, outdoor pursuits and leisure, travel, and tourism; to critically consider how power, empire, class, gender, “race,” religion, the environment, economics, politics, nation, and so forth, have informed and affected practices in the mountain parks; to integrate these factors of analysis in an understanding of the past; to understand and contextualize the human history of the mountain parks as an integral and changing facet of Canadian society and culture; and to foster independent study, research, writing, discussion, and presentation skills at a seniorundergraduate level. Primarily seminar-styled, this course is intended to stimulate student participation and discussion. All students will be expected to conduct independent reading, participate in discussions, and present a major research essay. Assigned Reading Course readings will be posted in PDF files on Moodle. The only required text in print that has been ordered for this course is as follows: MacLaren, I.S., ed. Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007. Assignments and Presentations Seminar Participation: All students will be asked to respectfully contribute to seminar discussions. This mark will be based on the student's preparedness, knowledge of the assigned readings, participation, as well as the originality of her/his contribution in the seminar over the entire term. Term Paper Proposal: The proposal is a starting point for term-paper research. It offers students the opportunity to begin work and to obtain early feedback on the quality of their essay writing and research. Proposals should define a specific research question focused on an identified era and offer a preliminary thesis argument with questions or themes to explore. A preliminary research bibliography is required. Due in class on October 1. Term Paper: Research subjects for term papers should fall within the scope of the course, and build on some aspect of seminar readings to develop a deeper level of analysis related to the student’s individual interests. Selection of term paper subjects is open in consultation with the instructor. The final draft should be approximately fifteen-to-twenty pages in length. Due in class December 3. Oral Presentation: Students will present their research papers. Presentations should be twenty-five to thirty minutes in length and employ multi-media resources. Presentations will be held during the last two seminars of the term: November 26 and December 3. Course Assessment and Evaluation Seminar Participation: Term Paper Proposal: Presentation: Term Paper: 10% 25% 30% 35% Marking and grading procedures will be outlined in class Evaluation will be completed and expressed in raw marks throughout the course. Grades (using the letter-grading system) will be assigned only to the final distribution of mark totals for the course. Such assignment will be based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in this class and remain unofficial until approved by Faculty Council or its designate (i.e. Associate or Assistant Dean). Attendance and Class Notes Regular attendance of seminars is highly advised. Students are also responsible for taking notes regarding the subject matter of all seminars (lectures, discussions, slides, films, etc.). Note taking should focus on the major issues and examples presented in seminar. 2 Class Schedule This schedule may be subject to occasional changes at the instructor’s discretion. Any modifications will be made with fair warning and general class consent. Please prepare readings before class. Bring the scheduled readings to class and be prepared for discussion. Readings for each seminar are listed below: Date: Seminar Topic and Required Readings: Sept. 3 Introduction Sept. 10 Historical Perspectives on Nature and Parks in Canada George Altmeyer, “Three Ideas of Nature in Canada, 1893-1914,” Consuming Canada: Readings in Environmental History, eds. Chad Gaffield and Pam Gaffield (Toronto: Copp Clark, 1995), 96-118. R.C. Brown, “The Doctrine of Usefulness: Natural Resource and National Park Policy in Canada, 1887-1914,” Canadian Parks in Perspective, eds. J.G. Nelson and R.C. Scace (Montreal: Harvest House, 1970), 46-62. Sept. 17 Cultured Wilderness, I I.S. MacLaren, “Cultured Wilderness in Jasper National Park,” Journal of Canadian Studies 34, 3 (1999): 7-58. William Cronon, “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature,” Environmental History 1 (1996): 7-28. Michael Payne, “The Fur Trade on the Upper Athabasca River, 1810-1910,” Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed, ed. I.S. MacLaren (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007), 1-39. Sept. 24 Cultured Wilderness, II Peter J. Murphy, “Homesteading in the Athabasca Valley to 1910,” Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed, ed. I.S. MacLaren (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007), 1353. Tolly Bradford, “A Useful Institution: William Twin, “Indianness,” and Banff National Park, c. 1860-1940,” Native Studies Review 16, 2 (2005): 77- 98. Theodore (Ted) Binnema and Melanie Niemi, “‘Let the line be drawn now’: Wilderness, Conservation, and the Exclusion of Aboriginal People from Banff National Park in Canada,” Environmental History 11 (2006): 724-50. Oct. 1 Selling “Canada” in the Rocky Mountain Parks Lynda Jessup, “The Group of Seven and the Tourist Landscape in Western Canada, or The More Things Change…,” Journal of Canadian Studies 37, 1 (2002): 144-79. Gabrielle Zezulka-Mailloux, “Laying the Tracks for Tourism: Paradoxical Promotions and the Development of Jasper National Park,” Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed, ed. I.S. MacLaren (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007), 302-339. Oct. 8 Victorian Mountaineering in the “Canadian Alps,” I Zac Robinson, “The Golden Years of Canadian Mountaineering: Ethics, Style, and Form, 1886-1925,” Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed, ed. I.S. MacLaren (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007), 302-339. 3 Chris Williams, “‘That Boundless Ocean Of Mountains’: British Alpinists and the Appeal of the Canadian Rockies, 1885-1920,” The International Journal of the History of Sport 22, 1 (2005): 70-87. Oct. 15 Victorian Mountaineering in the “Canadian Alps,” II Zac Robinson, “Storming the Heights: Canadian Frontier Nationalism and the Making of Manhood in the Conquest of Mount Robson, 1906-1913,” International Journal of the History of Sport 22, 3 (2005): 415-33. George Kinney and Donald Phillips, “To the Top of Robson,” Canadian Alpine Journal 2, 2 (1910): 21-44. Conrad Kain, Where The Clouds Can Go: The Autobiography of Conrad Kain, edited and translated by J. Monroe Thorington (1935; New York: The American Alpine Club, 1979), 308-21. Oct. 22 Wintertime Tourism in the Rockies William B. Yeo, “Making Banff a Year-Round Park,” Winter Sports in the West, eds. E.A. Corbet and A.W. Rasporich (Calgary: The Historical Society of Alberta/University of Calgary Press, 1990), 87-98. Zac Robinson, “Off the Beaten Path? Ski Mountaineering and the Weight of Tradition in the Canadian Rockies, 1909-1940,” The International Journal for the History of Sport 24, 10 (2007): 1320-1343. Oct. 29 Conflicting Mandates PearlAnn Reichwein, “‘Hands Off Our National Parks’: The Alpine Club of Canada and Hydro-development Controversies in the Canadian Rockies, 1922-1930,” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association 6 (1995): 129-55. C.J. Taylor, “Legislating Nature: The National Park Act of 1930,” To See Ourselves/To Save Ourselves: Ecology and Culture in Canada, ed. Rowland Lorimer, Michael M’Gonigle, Jean-Pierre Revéret, and Sally Ross. Montreal: Association for Canadian Studies, 1991: 125-37. Nov. 5 Depression and War Leslie Bella, Parks for Profit. Montreal: Harvest House, 1987. Chapters Four and Five. Pp. 59-105. Bill Waiser, Park Prisoners: The Untold Story of Western Canada’s National Parks, 19151946. Fifth House Ltd., 1999. Chapters Two and Five. Pp. 48-84, 175-216. Nov. 12 Postwar Parks and Tourism C.J.Taylor, “The Changing Habitat of Jasper Tourism,” Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries of Human History in the Upper Athabasca River Watershed, ed. I.S. MacLaren (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2007), 199-231. Leslie Bella, Parks for Profit. Montreal: Harvest House, 1987. Chapters Six and Seven. Pp. 105-51. Nov. 19 No seminar: Work on Essay Nov. 26 and Dec. 3 Selected Topics: Student presentations TBA 4 Plagiarism, Academic Offences, and Scholarly Practices All students are reminded of the University’s rules governing plagiarism, cheating, and other academic offences. Plagiarism and academic offences are serious and punishable and can result in expulsion from the university, suspension, and the grade “F.” The University Calendar prohibits plagiarism as follows: “No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation, or poster in a course or program of study.” [See U of A Calendar, Sec. 30.3.2 (1)]. Furthermore, it is an offence to submit the same work for credit in more than one course without advance written permission from the instructor. Students are responsible for reading and observing the Code of Student Behaviour as per the following policies: “The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/~unisecr/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation or aiding and abetting any of these offences. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” Careful note taking and proper citation using footnotes/endnotes are scholarly citation practices to avoid plagiarism. Term papers must cite both direct quotations and indirect references to credit the source of information. Footnotes are the preferred form of documentation for history papers. Use the Chicago Style governing citation; do not use the APA style for history papers. Format for Assignments All assignments must be typed double-spaced in 12-point font on 8.5" by 11" paper with 1" margins. The title page should note the essay’s title, the student’s name, course number and section, instructor’s name, the Faculty’s name, the university’s name, and the date. Pages should be numbered in the upper-right hand corner. Guides, Documentation, and Chicago Style Term papers should be well written and documented. For more information about what makes a good research paper and how to write, see the attached handout from the University Library or consult the Library website at www.library.ualberta.ca. WHERE DO I BEGIN?: “Research Guide for History of Sports and Recreation in Canada” This excellent starting place for the essay is located online on the U of A Library homepage. It links to searching databases, journals, style guides, and more. Try it! It was created by librarian Josie Tong to assist students with their independent research. http://www.library.ualberta.ca/subject/physicaleducation/history/index.cfm GUIDE TO WRITING HISTORY ESSAYS: Try this book for practical instructions on how to write a history essay from start to finish: Marius, Richard and Melvin E. Page, A Short Guide to Writing about History. New York: Longman, 2002. 5 The history discipline follows the conventions of the Chicago Style; do not use the APA format. Several different style guides exist for different scholarly purposes and disciplines. Historians use the Chicago Style because it best suits the practice of writing history. Footnotes or endnotes are the preferred form of documentation for history papers. Use footnotes to give proper credit to the sources of direct quotations and paraphrased information. Footnotes appear at the foot of each page in the essay. Most word processing programs will automatically align and number footnotes on the page. Finally, a list of sources (works cited) should be presented alphabetically at the end of the essay. You may wish to buy the book by Richard Marius and Melvin E. Page, A Short Guide to Writing about History for a concise how-to guide for writing, researching, and documenting history essays. For further reference, consult the Chicago Style manual or Kate Turabian’s manual in the library reference section, bookstore, or online for detailed guidelines regarding how to format an essay, citations and lists of sources. Students can consult these titles for further direction: University of Alberta Library Homepage: http://www.library.ualberta.ca/guides/citation/index.cfm. Check this site for examples of how to cite electronic sources according to Chicago Style. Marius, Richard and Melvin E. Page. A Short Guide to Writing about History. New York: Longman, 2002. [A step-by-step guide to writing history papers, with examples of the Chicago Style.] The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. [This book is summarized in Turabian’s handbook.] Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. [An easy reference handbook on how to use the Chicago Manual of Style rules.] Hellstern, Mary. The History Student Writer’s Manual. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1998. Policies for Assignment Deadlines Submit assignments at the beginning of class on the scheduled due date. Assignments submitted later than the due dates stated in the course outline will be considered late and subject to a deduction penalty. Assignment extensions will be granted in advance only for documented medical conditions, severe personal or domestic affliction, or pressing academic concerns. Late assignments, without an approved extension, will be penalized 5% per day. Essays that are more than four days late without an approved extension will not be accepted. If you are unavoidably prevented from meeting a due date, please contact the instructor as early as possible by phone. Students are advised to see the U of A Calendar regulations re. illness/afflictions, etc. 6 CHICAGO STYLE SHEET Here is a brief summary of rules relative to using the Chicago Style for citations. For more information see Richard Marius and Melvin E. Page, A Short Guide to Writing about History, any of the guides listed above, or check the University of Alberta Library Homepage at http://www.library.ualberta.ca/guides/citation/index.cfm. 1. A Book by One Author: Footnote: 1 Carl Berger, Science, God, and Nature in Victorian Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1983), 77. The first time the source is cited, use the full footnote format above; for subsequent references to the same source, abbreviate the footnote with a new number as shown below: 2 Berger, 77. Bibliography: Berger, Carl. Science, God, and Nature in Victorian Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1983. 2. An Author’s Article in a Book with Editors: Footnote: Robert Craig Brown, “The Doctrine of Usefulness: Natural Resource and National Park Policy in Canada, 18871914,” The Canadian National Parks: today and tomorrow, eds. J.G. Nelson and R.C. Scace (Calgary: University of Calgary, 1968), 94-110. 2 Bibliography: Brown, Robert Craig. “The Doctrine of Usefulness: Natural Resource and National Park Policy in Canada, 1887-1914.” The Canadian National Parks: today and tomorrow. Eds. J.G. Nelson and R.C. Scace. Calgary: University of Calgary, 1968, 94-110. 3. An Article in a Journal: Footnote: G. Winham, “Attitudes on Pollution and Growth in Hamilton,” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 5 (1972): 3 389. Bibliography: Winham, G. “Attitudes on Pollution and Growth in Hamilton.” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 5 (1972): 389-400. 7 HIST 460 — Evaluation Form for Term Papers and Proposals Mark: ___________ Please note areas indicated for improvement. □ CONTENT: Ensure the essay presents your own clearly stated essay thesis (main idea/argument) and argues consistently from beginning to end. □ Offer your own critical responses to the research question. □ Demonstrate understanding and insight. □ Substantiate your thesis based on specific evidence/examples drawn from identified sources. □ Situate your arguments in the context of the historical literature and debates on the subject at hand. □ Provide adequate research/additional sources, including an academic journal article. □ STRUCTURE, FORM: The title page includes: a descriptive essay title, course number and section, professor’s name, and student’s name, and the date. □ The introduction establishes the subject of the essay, sets the context of the research, and states the essay thesis. □ The conclusion is consistent with the thesis of the essay and closes by emphasizing its final meaning. □ Paragraphs are structured with a thesis statement, supporting sentences, and a concluding statement. The first line of each paragraph is indented. Avoid paragraphs that are extremely short or long. Control paragraph length by presenting one main idea per paragraph. Aim for clear concise writing style. Rewrite long, rambling, awkward or incomplete sentences. □ Quotations longer than three lines are indented single-space without quotation marks. Shorter quotations are set inside quotation marks within the main text. □ Reference (i.e. footnote/endnote) both ideas and direct quotations to credit the source of information and avoid plagiarism. □ Consult a style manual re: grammar, syntax, punctuation, formal writing style, citation (footnotes or endnotes), list of works cited. The Chicago Manual of Style is the preferred style guide for history papers; it offers directions for how to footnote/endnote. Use a dictionary or spell check to improve spelling. Number pages (upper-right corner). Proof read carefully. □ Final term paper: needs to adequately take into account feedback from the proposal stage of marking. COMMENTS: NOTE: Holistic evaluation assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the essay in its constitutive elements (see above), and ranks a mark based on overall performance using a percentage scale (mark out of 100%). Students can use the evaluation criteria in advance as guidelines to note for writing essays. 8