Lesson 1.1- Hello, ENGL 470A

Welcome! My name is Jenny. I will be in fourth year pursuing a double major in psychology and English literature. Before you ask: no, I can’t read your mind, I don’t need to complete 240 credits, and I don’t want to be a teacher! As part of my studies in ENGL 470A (Canadian Studies), I will be blogging weekly for the next several months. This is a distance education course instructed by Professor Erika Paterson.

A course Erika likes to call “Oh Canada… Our Home and Native Land?” (Paterson, “Welcome”), this class offers a refreshing perspective on Canadian Literature. Instead of studying the classical Canadian works, the spotlight of this class is on the most understudied population in Canada- our First Nations. The course is composed of four units, which is subdivided into three lessons. Each lesson is to be completed in a week. After, students are expected to reflect upon the week’s topic via blogging. What makes this course unique is the emphasis on utilizing social media to learn and share ideas with our classmates. Upon completion, it is hoped that students will develop a greater understanding for the issues affecting the Indigenous population. This means recognizing colonizing narratives and representations, and being able to research/discuss about it via the Internet (CTLT, “ENGL 470A”).

I was intrigued by this course because it offers an alternate perspective on Canadian literature. In second year, I was enrolled in ENGL 222 (Literature in Canada). The readings of the class diverted away from the major Canadian authors, such as Margaret Atwood, Farley Mowat, and Douglas Coupland, to name a few. My professor strived to educate everyone on issues most Canadians are unaware of, most of which relate to First Nations. Upon hearing this, I was utterly dumbfounded. I had little knowledge of the history of the First Nations, even though I went to school in Vancouver. This prompted a number of questions: why, as a Canadian, was I not learning about the First Nation in social studies and history classes in high school? Why is the curriculum so Eurocentric? Why did I learn about various wars, the regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, yet fail to understand issues within the country I call home? In this article, David Scott argues that “elite descendants of white Anglo-Saxon protestant settlers sought to impose and have people conform to their particular vision of Canadian identity”, which is translated through the curriculum of public education (31). Through this class, I aspire to fill in the gaps in my knowledge that resulted from a flawed Canadian curriculum.

As you may have noticed, I have made a number of blog posts on this page for PSYC 304: Brain and Behaviour. In fact, this is the third class that I will be using UBC Blogs for, with my first being Journalism 100. I invite you to read and comment on my past, present, and future posts to come. I appreciate constructive criticism and opinions, so don’t hesitate to comment. I also hope to get to know my fellow English majors too, because the majority of people I know are psychology majors. Looking forward to a great summer with everyone!

Works Cited

“ENGL 470A (3 cr): Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres.” Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. University of British Columbia, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

Paterson, Erika. “Welcome.” ENGL 470A Canadian Studies Canadian Literary Genre 98A May 2014. University of British Columbia. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. 14 May 2014.

Scott, David. “Teaching Aboriginal Perspectives: An Investigation Into Teacher Practices Amidst Curriculum Change.” Canadian Social Studies 46.1 (2013): 31-43. Web. 14 May 2014.