Identity and Culture – CHI4U

Canada, Origins to 1774 

Students will begin the course by examining the different skills and inquiry development to be employed throughout the course. In particular, the students will be encouraged to use the six historical thinking concepts: Historical Significance, Evidence, Continuity and Change, Cause and Consequence, Historical Perspective, and Ethical Dimension. The first unit introduces Canada’s indigenous peoples and will examine the complex co-existence of these populations with Europeans from first contact, colonization, and settlement. The unit will examine mercantilism and the Seigneurial System as well as the implications of the Seven Years’ War, the pivotal Battle of The Plains of Abraham (1763) and the fallout that ensued thereafter with the Pontiac Rebellion and the signing of the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The unit will end with the production of an electronic Annotated Map of early Canada as well as a Unit Test.  

Canada, 1774 to 1867 

This second unit examines a plethora of issues that contributed to the development of a nation. Among these include Ryerson’s Methodism, the Absentee Landlord Question, Clergy and Crown Reserves, New France Colonization, and The Durham Report. It will also examine the implications of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe on the Americas and the spillover that resulted in the War of 1812, along with key figures such as Sir Isaac Brock, Tecumseh, and Laura Secord. This will be followed by studies in annexation movements, the abolition of slavery in Britain and its colonies, the development of the Underground Railroad, the Trent Incident, the Fenian Raids, the Invasion of St. Albans, and the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854. The unit will conclude with an Annotated Timeline and a Unit Test. 

Canada, 1867 to 1945 

The third unit begins with questions surrounding autonomy and independence, confederation, as well as questions with national defense, peacekeeping, and alliances. Among the issues raised in Unit 3 are the Manitoba Schools Act, Anti-Chinese Riots in B.C., Maritime Rights, the Winnipeg General Strike, the Ottawa trek, the Regina Riot, the Christie Pits Riot, and the Halibut Treaty. The friction between Anglophone and Francophone Canadians will also be examined in detail with significant attention given to the two world wars. The unit will conclude with the examination of Newfoundlanders to Canada’s international efforts and their eventual move towards confederation. The unit will conclude with an essay from a list of available topics as well as a Unit test.  

Canada since 1945 

The final unit begins where the Second World Warends. Canada’s contribution in the restoration of post-war Europe through peacekeeping initiatives and the welcoming of refugees and immigrants will be a major focus in this unit. Canada’s role in NORAD and the emerging threat of nuclear conflict in the aftermath of NATO and Warsaw Pact alliances. This unit will also investigate the challenges of marginalized groups within Canada such as women, First Nations peoples, visible minorities, the disabled and the LGBTQ community. These questions culminate in the enduring vision of defining what exactly it is to be Canadian. The unit will conclude with a presentation from a list of available topics and a unit test before concluding the course with a final exam. 

Final Culminating Assignment  

Final Exam 

6 hours

2 hours