CNST 419 L01
The Métis People of Canada
Fall 2008
Wednesdays 13:00 - 15:50

SA 121

 

Instructor:	Dr. Heather Devine
Office Location:	Social Sciences 312
Office Phone:	(403) 220-3894
E-Mail:	hdevine@ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	12: 00 noon -1:00 Monday; 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Monday, or by appointment.

 

Course Description

This course is an interdisciplinary study of the Métis people of Canada, with special emphasis on the social, economic, and political factors influencing their emergence and continued survival as a distinct indigenous group in Canada. Topics discussed will include, but are not limited to: the emergence of Métis communities in different regions of Canada; the development of Métis society, material culture, and economy; Métis politics; changing political and cultural definitions of Métis identity; the Métis in literature, art, drama and electronic media; and Métis genealogy.

This course consists of lectures, readings, and films devoted to various topics in the field of Métis studies. Students will be expected to participate in class discussion of topics covered in class.

Objectives of the Course

To introduce students to the broad spectrum of Canadian Métis studies, incorporating history, culture, and politics.

Textbooks and Readings

Two texts are required for CNST 419. Both are available for purchase in the University of Calgary Bookstore:

Jacqueline Peterson and Jennifer S.H. Brown, eds. The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis in North America

Course Readings Package - CNST 419

Please Note: Assigned readings for each class are listed on the Schedule for Lectures and Readings. Student reading of assigned articles is essential as a basis for useful dialogue in class.

Assignments and Evaluation

ALL assignments must be completed and submitted for a student to be given a passing grade in CNST 419.

Book Review- 20%

A selection of books devoted to Métis culture, history, and politics will be placed in the Reserve Room at the Mackimmie Library and made available to students of CNST 419. Students will be required to prepare a review of one of the books on the list. The book review will be due Wednesday October 8, 2008.

Response Paper - 20%

A response paper is a short (500-750 word) essay where you express your opinions about a newspaper or journal article dealing with Métis topics. Your comments should demonstrate your contextual understanding of the issues presented, as well as provide you with an opportunity to express how the material has - or has not - affected you intellectually and emotionally. The response paper is an in-class exercise, to be completed on Wednesday October 22, 2008

Term Paper - 30%

Students are required to complete and submit a term paper, the topic to be selected from a list supplied by the instructor. The body of the term paper, with footnotes, should be a minimum of 15 pages in length, double-spaced, with an additional title page and bibliography. A choice of term paper topics will be supplied by the instructor on the first day of class. If students wish to choose their own topic, they must get approval from the instructor in advance.

The term paper is due on the last day of regularly scheduled classes for this course, which is Wednesday December 3, 2008. NO papers will be accepted after Monday December 8, 2008. Book reviews and term papers will be docked five percentage points for each day they are late. If a student does not deliver an assignment due to illness or emergency, a doctor's certificate or other documentation is required.

Final Exam - 30%

Final examinations for the University of Calgary 2008 Fall Session are scheduled for December inclusive. The Examinations Timetable will be published approximately one month after the start of the session and will be posted on the Registrar's Office bulletin board, at all faculty and department offices, and on the web.

The final exam will be two hours long and will consist of a choice of essay questions.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: YES

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre. Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

(Revised, effective September 2008)

 

	Grading Scale
A+	96-100
A	90-95.99
A -	85-89.99
B+	80-84.99
B	75-79.99
B-	70-74.99
C+	65-69.99
C	60-64.99
C-	55-59.99
D+	53-54.99
D	50-52.99
F	0-49

 

Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A- would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will be converted to zero.

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines. Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research. For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READINGS

September 10 Introduction to Course

The Fur Trade of New France and Acadia to 1700

John C. Kennedy. "Labrador Métis Ethnogenesis". CNST 419 Book of Readings

Olive P. Dickason. "From ‘One Nation' in the Northeast to ‘New Nation' in the Northwest: A look at the emergence of the Métis" The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis

September 17 The Fur Trade of New France and Acadia to 1760

Cornelius J. Jaenen. "Miscegenation in Eighteenth Century New France". CNST 419 Book of Readings

Jacqueline Peterson. "Many Roads to Red River: Métis Genesis in the Great Lakes Region, 1680-1815" The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis

September 24 The Rupert's Land Fur Trade and the Emergence of the Métis

Marina Devine. "The First Northern Métis". CNST 419 Book of Readings

John Foster. "Wintering, the Outsider Adult Male and the Ethnogenesis of the Western Plains Métis." CNST 419 Book of Readings

October 1 The Rupert's Land Fur Trade and the Emergence of the Métis (con't)

Trudy Nicks and Kenneth Morgan. "Grande Cache: The Historic Development of an Indigenous Alberta Métis population" The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis

Heather Devine. "Les Desjarlais: The Development and Dispersion of a Proto-Métis Hunting Band." CNST 419 Book of Readings

October 8 Métis Community Life I - BOOK REVIEW DUE - 20%

Irene M. Spry. "The Métis and Mixed-Bloods of Rupert's Land Before 1870". The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis

October 15 Métis Community Life II

Lynn Whidden. "Métis Music." CNST 419 Book of Readings

Sherry Farrell Racette. "Beads, Silk and Quills: The Clothing and Decorative Arts of the Métis." CNST 419 Book of Readings

October 22 Métis Politics to 1868 - IN-CLASS RESPONSE PAPER ASSIGNMENT - 20%

October 29 Métis Politics: 1869-1885

Jeffrey S. Murray. "Métis Scrip Records: Foundation for a New Beginning." CNST 419 Book of Readings

November 5 The Aftermath of the Rebellion

November 12 The Enigma of Louis Riel

Douglas Owram. "The Myth of Louis Riel". CNST 419 Book of Readings

November 19 Métis Politics in the 20^th and 21 Centuries -

Brad Milne. "The Historiography of Métis Land Dispersal, 1870-1890". CNST 419 Book of Readings

Jeffrey S. Murray. "Métis Scrip Records: Foundation for a New Beginning." The Archivist 20, No. 1 (1993): 12-14.

November 26 Métis Politics in the 20^th and 21 Centuries - (con't)

Jean Teillet. "The Winds of Change: Métis Rights After Powley, Taku, and Haida". CNST 419 Book of Readings

John Giokas & Paul L.A.H. Chartrand. "Who are the Métis in Section 35? A Review of the Law and Policy Relating to Métis and ‘Mixed-Blood' People in Canada." CNST 419 Book of Readings

December 3 Contemporary Métis Identity

Christine Welsh. "Voices of the Grandmothers: Reclaiming a Métis Heritage". CNST 419 Book of Readings

Frits Pannekoek, "Métis Studies: The Development of a Field and New Directions". CNST 419 Book of Readings

TERM PAPER DUE - 30%