Historical Geography I
Geography 345

Instructor: Ken Brealey Email: Ken.Brealey@ucfv.ca
Office Rooms: Cha A102A         Office Phones: Cha 2406
                    Abb A406B                             Abb 4711

Course Outline

In broad outline, historical geography is concerned with developing a critical understanding of the geographies of the past, and their relations to, and influences on, the geographies of the present. This includes not only appreciating past geographies from the perspective of the present, but also trying to make sense of how historically situated societies actually imagined, understood, and then lived the human geographies they created. In this intermediate to advanced course, we will draw on a theoretical, metho-dological and empirical literature to explore the historical geographies of exploration and discovery, econ-omic development and landscape change, travel or adventure literature, cartography, settlement and the built landscape, environmental change, and imperialism and colonialism in North America. The course will consist of lectures, audiovisual, in-class presentation and discussion, two field trips, and a term paper assignment.

Required text: There is no required text for this course. You will need, though, a copy of the pre-pac-kaged course reader for GEOG345, which will be on sale in the bookstore around the beginning of term. Any other required material will be placed on library reserve or supplied in class.

Evaluation

Term Assignment: 30%
Presentation and Participation: 20%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam 30%

Course Schedule

Wk1: Introduction to course; the ‘history of historical geography’
Wk2: Theoretical and methodological considerations; on capitalism, territoriality, landscape, the experience of modernity, and the geographical imagination
Wk3: Making and unmaking historical geography I; Aboriginal North America; European exploration, discovery and contact, 1500-1800
Wk4: Historical geographies of empire; settlement, transportation, and trade in North America, 1600-1850
Wk5: Expansion to the westward and the changing geopolitical map in North America, 1750-1900
Wk6: Making and unmaking historical geography II; map, text, image and landscape in North America, 1750-1900
Wk7: Midterm
Wk8: Europe meets non-Europe: hybrid geographies of contact and colonialism and en-vironmental change in North America, 1750-1920
Wk9: From sea to sea: historical geographies of settlement, transportation and the built environment, 1800-1940
Wk10: Field Trip: the lower Fraser valley encountered
Wk11: Historical geographies of industry and urbanization, 1800-1940
Wk12: Field trip: Romantic and modern landscapes in Vancouver
Wk13: Excavating the past; contested visions, postmodernism, and the heritage industry; preview for final exam