The Perspective of the Past

Canadian historian Donald Creighton has written:

The waves behind the vessel which is carrying humanity forward into the unknown ... can teach us where the winds of change are blowing and on what course the chief currents of our age are set. They can reveal to us the main direction of our voyage through time.

Students are often bewildered by the confusion of events occurring around them. They lack a perspective which would allow them to find a pattern in the complexities of current events. Education should help them discover the harmonies and the conflicts which have shaped and continue to shape social life. Creighton concluded that there have been no "tragic finalities" in our past "only the endless repetitions of the same themes." Students need the opportunity to discover for themselves a perspective in which themes become apparent. It is the task of a Canadian Studies program to allow these discoveries to occur.

The Course Goals of Canadian Studies

The goal of Social Studies 30, Native Studies 30, and History 30 is to help students understand the major issues facing Canadians at the end of the twentieth century. The social studies program examines issues such as social change throughout Canadian history, people-land relationships, cross-cultural relationships, the governance of Canadian society, and Canada's relationship with the global community. The Native Studies program aims to develop appreciation for the influence of Aboriginal peoples on the development of Canada through an investigation of contemporary issues and their historical basis. Students of Native Studies will develop an understanding of their own cultural groups, and sensitivity to other cultural groups through a focus on development of positive self-identity. The history program examines the historical forces between the Aboriginal peoples who have always been here and the many different immigrants who came to make a new life for themselves. Canadians have had to deal with issues stemming from the environment and from working out ways of living with each other. The social studies and history programs examine the current state of these issues and alternative viewpoints for dealing with these issues within Canadian society.

Note:

• Students have the choice of taking one of history, social studies, or Native studies at the grade 10 level. This means it is possible to have students at the grade 11 level, who come from different grade 10 courses. The history and social studies programs use similar concepts so that students who take either history or social studies will have similar backgrounds in concepts and skills/abilities provided that these have been emphasized by the teacher.
• There is also some similarity in concepts between the grade 11 social studies and history programs. The skills/abilities objectives are the same for both grade 11 courses, so if these objectives have been emphasized students will share this background.
• It is important that the concept and ability foundational objectives for grades 9, 10 and 11 be emphasized, so that students will enter grade 12 with a solid base on which to build their understanding of Canadian issues. The grade 12 courses share the skills/abilities foundational objective of dialectical thinking with grade 11. Grade 12 uses many of the concepts developed in grades 9, 10, and 11: worldview (9) (11); paradigms (9) (10); social contract (10); ideology (10) (11); and integration (11) are some of the more important examples. As well students will need to bring a background of skills/abilities such as hypothesizing and analyzing. Mastery of concepts and abilities takes time and practise. For students to be successful in grade 12, careful preparatory work needs to occur in the earlier grades. The grade 12 programs should be seen as a culmination of much work begun earlier in the student's. education

A Summary of Canadian Studies From the Perspective of History, Native Studies and Social Studies

Unit One

History: A society's paradigms will be influenced and adjusted to reflect new realities. Students will learn that sustained contact between peoples of differing societies, is a catalyst that produces new realities for both peoples, and that the arrival of the Europeans began a process of social change for both the Aboriginal peoples and the Europeans.

Native Studies: This unit provides a framework for gaining insight into Canadian Aboriginal and Treaty rights. Common elements of Aboriginal knowledge and philosophy provide a basis for understanding Aboriginal and Treaty rights. Factors of diversity and the impact of Canada’s expansionism of the 1800s are considered in the interpretation of Aboriginal and Treaty rights in Canada.

Social Studies: The central concept of this unit is social change. The objective is to help students evaluate the changes that are occurring in their lives and to understand that change has been a constant factor in the history of Canada. Canadian society, as we know it, is the result of many significant changes. Students will have an opportunity to consider some of the major change events that shaped Canada's history: first contact between the Aboriginal peoples and the Europeans, the Quebec Act, the Rebellions of 1837, the resettlement of the Canadian Northwest at the end of the nineteenth century, and the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.

Unit Two

History: Every society has to develop decision-making processes that secure the social and economic well-being of its members. Students will learn that competition exists within society for control of decision-making processes, that not all interest groups possess the necessary power to significantly influence societal decision making, and that Confederation was the process of seeking consensus among the competing interest groups.

Native Studies: Prior to contact, Aboriginal peoples were independent, autonomous, self-governing nations. This unit explores structures of governance in Canada with a focus upon the Aboriginal peoples. The influences of traditional leadership, decision-making processes, colonial rule, the Indian Act, and the Constitution Act are studied as a means to understanding contemporary issues and challenges.

Social Studies: The central theme of this unit is economic development. There has been a significant relationship between the people of Canada, the geography, and the people's standard of living. Students will learn that the environment and society act as systems and that people create models in order to understand and control these systems.

Unit Three

History: The unity and well-being of a society is significantly influenced by its ability to create a political and social climate that permits individual citizens and groups to "perceive" that their interests and well-being are being addressed. Students will learn that the existing social contract will be affected by society's ability to achieve an acceptable standard of living. They will also learn that the expansion of the Canadian state "incorporated" new peoples whose interests were not always accommodated by the existing political and social status quo.

Native Studies: In Canada, two types of Aboriginal land claims are recognized, comprehensive claims (where there were no treaties), and specific claims (where there were treaties). This unit will explore how cultural factors and worldviews influence peoples’ relationship to the land and to the environment. The basis and procedures for resolving comprehensive and specific land claims in Canada will be examined.

Social Studies: The central concept of this unit is acculturation. Canadian society was created by the Aboriginal peoples and the many different groups who immigrated to Canada. Students will learn that the fundamental assumptions of a democratic society place limits on the ways ethnic differences are resolved and that the methods used in resolving ethnic differences have consequences.

Unit Four

History: The state has played a significant and leading role in the formation and implementation of a uniquely "Canadian" societal paradigm. The students will learn the assumptions that surround that paradigm, including the role of the state and that the state plays an instrumental role in enacting that paradigm particularly in working towards achieving equality of opportunity and services.

Native Studies: The utilization of natural resources is examined as it relates to Aboriginal rights, land claims, self-government, and worldview. Economic independence supports aspirations for Aboriginal self-determination and self-government and provides a context for gaining insight into contemporary issues. The influence of cultural factors relating to the environment and economic development will be explored. Connections between Aboriginal and Treaty rights and economic development are made to enhance student understanding of Canadian contemporary issues.

Social Studies: The central concept of this unit is constitutionality. Because Canada is a regional and multicultural nation with many competing interests, it is difficult to govern. Students will learn that the purpose of the political process in a democracy is to conciliate competing interests and that the constitution of a nation establishes the basic rules governing the political process.

Unit Five

History: The existing institutions and practices that have governed Canadian society are being presented with both global and domestic challenges. The students will learn that existing assumptions and practices will have to be revisited and, if need be, changed to respond to those challenges. The students will also learn that there are systematic procedures that can be used to investigate and evaluate possible responses to those challenges.

Native Studies: This unit deals with the social development of contemporary Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Justice, education, child welfare and health issues are analyzed in terms of their impact upon Aboriginal peoples in Canada. The factors affecting social relationships, conflict, and conflict resolution methods are studied in this unit.

Social Studies: The central concept of this unit is globalization. Canada is living in an increasingly interdependent world that limits the ability of Canadians to make decisions for themselves. Students will learn that environmental and economic changes are beyond the power of individual nations to control and that difficult choices need to be made between international interests and domestic interests.

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Canadian Studies 30 Organizer

The Basic Skills/Abilities Being
Emphasized in Canadian Studies 30

The skills and abilities of dialectical thinking, dialectical evaluation, moral testing, and conflict resolution are emphasized in the 30 level Canadian Studies programs. On the following pages there is a more detailed breakdown of the sub-skills within these general skills.