HIST 3809A: Historical Representation

HIST 3809A: Historical Representation
Winter 2026

Description: In a capital city such as Ottawa, our everyday lives are steeped in historical representation. Among other things, we consume it through monuments, museum exhibitions, architecture, plaques, ceremonies (November 11 and July 1, especially), street names, and living history sites. We also, of course, consume historical representation in films, television shows, theatre productions, novels, and poetry. And we are sold goods and experiences with historical representations: craft beer, artisanal furniture, and all sorts of tourist destinations brand themselves in image and messaging with depictions of the past (often under the guise of “traditional”). And think, too, of how much history is presented to us in video and board games, in our social media feeds, and on the shelves of Value Village or bougie “vintage” stores. Our course is about some of the reasons why there is so much historical representation woven into and through our everyday lives.

While this course has been offered for nearly twenty years, 2026 offers us a unique moment, in Ottawa, in which to study historical representation. 2026 is the bicentennial of the founding of Bytown which, in 1855, was renamed Ottawa. We will therefore use the city as an “archive” of sorts to take the course material we read, watch, and discuss, and apply it to examples scattered around Ottawa. This will mean some visits to monuments, a museum or two, and, yes, some shops. Students will do that fieldwork asynchronously, but some class time will be allocated to discussing what you experience in your urban explorations.

Class Format: In-person for one weekly three-hour class that will combine lecture, film, sound, and discussions. Some course time will be allocated for asynchronous fieldwork.

Assessment (Tentative):

Course Diary – 35%

In-Class Quizzes and Activities – 25%

Summative Assignment (proposal – 10%, research report – 5%, and final project- 25%) – 40%

Text: All course readings, viewings, and assigned materials will be provided electronically through the course website and the library catalogue.

Questions? Please email me at: john(dot)walsh(at)carleton(dot).ca