Assignment 1.1: Welcome!
Hello everyone, my name is Danica Ferguson and I am a 4th year student majoring in French, hoping to continue on after my undergrad to get my Bachelor of Education. I was born and raised in the small, rainy, northern coastal town of Prince Rupert, British Columbia and currently reside in Prince George, B.C. when I’m not in Vancouver. I grew up in one of the rainiest cities in Canada (Yes, it has even more rain than Vancouver), which has given me a tremendous appreciation for the sun and a water resistant attitude when it comes to rain. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, baking, and reading.
The view from the top of Mt. Hays in my hometown.
English 470: Canadian Studies is a literature course that will look at “Canadian literature in a historical context with a focus on the intersections and departures between European and Indigenous traditions of literature and orature.” (Paterson) This course also includes interactive, online components that opens up the discussion beyond the classroom. The reason I am interested in this course is because of the focus on the power of story telling and looking at Canada’s history from an Indigenous perspective. Growing up in Northern B.C., I have been exposed to First Nations culture and history, as well as the racism directed towards Indigenous peoples. In this course, I am excited to delve further into the complete history of Canada through literature, looking at it from a lesser known perspective. I am looking forward to analyzing the connections held between nation building and literature, and excited to see what my fellow classmates have to say about the topics. The online component of this course is something completely new to me, but I am excited to try it out and looking forward to seeing the dialogues created as a result of it. I am always intrigued to see what perspectives and frameworks are brought into these types of courses, and I am looking forward to learning from and with you all.
Works Cited
“Mount Hays (Prince Rupert, British Columbia): Address, Mountain Reviews – TripAdvisor.” Mount Hays (Prince Rupert, British Columbia): Address, Mountain Reviews – TripAdvisor. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Paterson, Erika. “Course Syllabus.” ENGL 470A Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres May 2016. University of British Columbia, 2016. Web. 11 May 2016.
“Top Five Rainiest Cities in Canada.” The Weather Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
May 13, 2016
Hello Danica,
Welcome to our course of studies together, I am looking forward to the summer working and reading together and hope you will enjoy this course as much as I enjoy teaching it – thanks for a great introduction blog. Enjoy.
Howdy Danica!
Thank you for sharing your perspective on life in Prince Rupert. I can relate to the unfortunate racism that can persist in small towns towards Indigenous communities – within my own family older generations maintain biases that I do not agree with. When I was younger it used to make me very angry (there were often sexist dialogues that occurred that built up upon the racial profiling), and then I recently took a women’s history class that provided a new way to frame my interpretation of my family. Though these individuals in my family are still alive and are very much living their perspectives, the reality to which their perspectives were formed is very different than the reality in which I came of age.
Perhaps that anecdote is unrelated to your experiences in Prince Rupert, though the transformation of culture may have a place in this course. I look forward to reading more of your perspectives this term.
Cheers! Kendra
Hey Danica! As we have decided to work together for our research project, I decided it would be best for me to use this first assignment to get to know a bit about my teammates. I had no idea that Prince Rupert is the rainiest city in Canada. I think a lot of people who live in Vancouver (and on Vancouver Island, where I grew up) feel a special attachment to being known as a “rain city.” Particularly in Vancouver, I notice a sense of pride and ownership over the city’s yearly rainfall; from rain related quotes and rain inspired graphic design on tote bags and bumper stickers to names of sports enthusiasts (such as the Rain City Brigade), Vancouverites like to brag about living in a rainforest. I am wondering if there is a similar mentality in Prince George. Do you notice this type of pride in the rainfall there? What kind of advice would you give to someone who is inexperienced in living with rain?