Imagine that you have just been hired as an assistant curator at the Canadian Museum of History. Your boss has asked you to create and curate a small, online exhibit about pre-Confederation Canada. You may choose the subject matter. This is your opportunity to really impress your employer with a truly meaningful exhibit. You are allowed to use four to five images, and you are expected to create the accompanying text. But you dont want to just write descriptions with facts and figures (although you will certainly include some in your write-up). You would really like to ask an important historical question and create a cohesive argument (a thesis) around the images you choose. You want to make viewers think carefully about a particular issue.
Pick a subject from the pre-Confederation period that interests you. Do some historical research (four secondary sources) in some scholarly books published by university presses or in articles published in scholarly journals (a list of journals available through the SFU library appears below). Think about the historical question that you would like to answer. You might want to explore a question about a specific moment in history (for example, the Cariboo gold rush); perhaps you are interested in a theme that unfolds over time (for example, the reception of Irish-Catholic immigrants in Canada in a series of immigration waves); or you might want to talk about how different historical perspectives are actually portrayed or even created through art. Look for images that might help to shape your essay (see some suggested websites below). You may use any type of imagesfor example, photographs, illustrations from old books or newspapers, newspaper headlines, posters, postcards, paintings, sketchesto illustrate your essay. But do make sure that the images actually move your argument forward; do not simply drop them into the essay without making connections for your viewers.
Your essay should be approximately 1200-1500 words. Please remember to use citations for information or ideas that come from your sources, including credits for the images you use. You should provide both footnotes and a bibliography for the essay. In this assignment, Chicago Style is mandatory. See the online manual at http://www.chicaagomanualofstyle.org/home.html (Links to an external site.). We will also chat about these technical matters in lectures and tutorials.
Scholarly journals available through SFU library
Canadian Historical Review
Journal of the Canadian Historical Association
BC Studies
Acadiensis
Labour/Le Travail
Newfoundland and Labrador Studies
Histoire sociale / Social History
Websites with images
Library and Archives Canada, https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx (Links to an external site.)
National Gallery of Canada, https://www.gallery.ca/collection/collecting-areas/canadian-art (Links to an external site.)
Digitized Collections available through SFU library:
Canadiana Online, https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61288888460003610/Canadiana-onlineLinks to an external site.
Globe and Mail, https://databases.lib.sfu.ca/record/61245131120003610/ProQuest-Historical-Newspapers:-The-Globe-and-MailLinks to an external site.
Images and Photographs, https://digital-lib-sfu-ca.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/collection-categories/images-photographsLinks to an external site.
British Columbia Postcard Collection, https://digital-lib-sfu-ca.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/british-columbia-postcards-collectionLinks to an external site.
A Nations Chronicle: The Canada Gazette, https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canada-gazette/index-e.html (Links to an external site.)
North American Indian Thought and Culture, https://search-alexanderstreet-com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/ibioLinks to an external site.
AND, OF COURSE, GOOGLE!!
