Hey, Everyone! Very excited to start this course with you all! I am a fourth-year history major and I am planning to apply to the education program at UBC this fall with hopes of becoming a high school teacher. I grew up on a small hobby farm in southern Ontario and I love animals, especially my dogs. Looking forward to doing three other courses online this semester but I am especially excited to learn more about Canadian literature and history by taking this class.
Looking through the course syllabus and the required readings for this semester I am excited as a History major that we will be delving into literature from different time periods and cultural backgrounds throughout the history of Canada. I have taken two Canadian history courses in the past two years and I have been fascinated by how our country was built and how it affects Canadians today. It has also been disappointing, as it is evident that there were many injustices against minority groups that occurred throughout Canada’s history. Unfortunately, many of these events are unknown or not talked about among Canadians, for example how the Japanese Canadians were treated during World War Two. One of the most eye-opening Canadian books I have ever read is called Obasan by Joy Kogawa, this novel delves into the realities of the Japanese Internment. Literature is a powerful way for us to learn more about the past and also a way for us to look forward. I am hopeful that in reading the books throughout this term and by interacting with other students that this course will inform and help me better understand minority groups that have often not had a voice in Canadian history.
anyways again really excited to learn online with you all this semester and I am looking forward to reading all the blog posts!
Have a wonderful week
Works Cited
- Obasan Joy Kogawa, GoodReads, Review(2016 Goodreads inc.) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9723.Obasan
- Japanese Internment, “Canada a Peoples History” (CBC Learning),http://www.cbc.ca/history/EPISCONTENTSE1EP14CH3PA3LE.html
Hi Katherine,
Welcome to our course of studies together – I think this is an excellent course for education and your interest and previous courses in Canadian history will be a great assets. I look forward to working together.
Thanks for the encouragement also looking forward to studying and learning more about Canadian literature.
Hi Kathryn!
I really enjoyed reading your first blog post! I am interested in what exactly made you want to be a high school teacher or if you just always knew? I want to be an elementary school teacher and I feel like I knew from a young age that was what I wanted to do. While reading your blog post I was drawn to your discussion about how the injustices of groups within Canada are often not talked about which makes them unknown to many Canadians and people around the world. I completely agree with you that it is disappointing because as I have been growing up in Canada (and after finding out pretty late in my education about the injustices against minority groups in Canada that took place) I have constantly felt like part of Canada’s history was hidden from me for a long time. I think acknowledging all of Canada’s history (especially the negative parts) and recognizing them as being important is crucial in order to help prevent injustices from occurring in the future. I love your description of literature as a powerful tool to help us learn about the past and how to move forward in the future. I think that the stories in this course will embody many different voices and therefore provide us with the experiences, perspectives and feelings of many Canadian people.
I look forward to reading more of your blog posts Kathryn! – Chloë
Hey Chloë
Thanks for your comment! I actually planned on being a vet assistant in high school as I absolutely adore animals. Science was not my strong point though and my love for History pointed me in the direction of teaching. I also really enjoy leadership positions so it felt like the right direction. I have also felt throughout my education years that injustices of minority groups has not been focused on enough!
Thanks again for your comment 🙂
Hello Eh,
Yes, there have been many injustices that have occurred throughout the history of Canada. The Japanese Internment represents a sad event in our country’s history. It was right for the Canadian government to apologize for this tragic happening.
Marginalized groups in our society include natives, the poor, and the new immigrants. The key for the development of a compassionate society is for those voices to be recognized and valued for what they are. In democracy, all men are supposed to be created equal but it seems that there are privileged groups that get first choice when it comes to jobs, schooling, and government assistance.
One of the great events of the past is the building of the CPR yet how often do we acknowledge that the last spike driven was driven was on the back of Chinese coolies and working class poor.
I look forward to reading more of your post and wish you luck over the course of the semester.
A thoughtful and important comment, thank you Michael. One thing I feel compiled to point to is your use of sexist language: ” In democracy, all men are supposed to be created equal…. “. I realize this is the original language, but it is important to recognize how much language creates reality and be more careful with usage. Try: “In democracy, all people are supposed to be created equal …”
Likewise, “Mankind” becomes “Humanity”
Thanks 🙂
Thanks for your comment Michael,
I definitely agree in that minority groups do not seem to have had the same voice or privileges in our society today. But definitely something we can change through literature and other measures.
Thanks again for the comment
Hello again Kathryn,
Please excuse me for misspelling your name above. Kathryn, I just noticed your Works cited is incorrect, please follow the formatting guidelines for MLA Style. Thank you.
Hello Professor Paterson,
Sorry about the MLA mistake I will review that:)