HIST220 History of Childhood in Canada: Indigenous and Settler Children, Then And Now

This course will look at how past notions of class, race and gender have affected childhood in Canada. It will particularly explore and contrast the histories of Indigenous and settler children in Canada with a focus on the twentieth century, and it will look at how past regulation and racial stereotypes have affected children and youth of today. We will explore the different worlds of children and youth from various ethnic and racial backgrounds at work, during wartime, and in institutions such as residential schools. In addition to charting the changing nature of childhood and adolescence, we will examine evolving ideas of gender roles, sexuality, child protection and children’s rights in different subgroups of children in Canada.