Introduction to African Canadian Studies

SOSA/CANA 2005.01 – Introduction to African Canadian Studies
TAKE HOME EXAMINATION
Answer TWO (2) questions. Minimum of 750-words per question.
In what ways did slavery influence and shape how persons of African descent were
perceived and treated in Canada?
Relevant readings: Erik Gilbert & Jonathan Reynolds, Slavery and the Creation of the Atlantic
World; Afua Cooper, Secret of Slavery in Canada; Harvey Imani Whitfield, Slavery in Nova
English Nova Scotia, 1750-1810; Michelle Y. Williams, Sisyphus’s Ongoing Journey: Anti-Black
Racism and the Myth of Racial Equality in Canada; Charles Quist Adade, Why Does Racism
Persist When Most People Know It’s Bad?
OR
What did Canadian immigration legislation and practices in the 19th and first half of the 20th century
indicate about the attitudes of the Canadian government to the presence of Blacks in Canada?
Relevant readings: R. Bruce Shepard, Diplomatic Racism: Canadian Government and Black Migration
from Oklahoma, 1905-1912; S.J. Mathieu, North of the Colour Line: Sleeping Car Porters and the
Battle Against Jim Crow on Canadian Rails, 1880-1920
OR
In what ways did the events at Sir George Williams University in 1969 challenge the myth of the
harmonious Canadian social mosiac?
Relevant readings: Burnley “Rocky” Jones & James Walker, Black Power; Valerie Belgrave, The Sir
George William Affair; Robin Winks, Self-Help and a New Awakening, 1930-1970; Anthony Morgan,
Civil and Political Wrongs: The Growing Gap Between International Civil and Political Rights and
African Canadian Life.
OR
What do the Priceville and Africville experience reveal about the socio-economic and political
position of Blacks in Canada?
Relevant readings: Bridglal Pachai, Early History of Africville and The Africville Saga; Jennifer
Nelson, The space of Africville: Creating, Regulating, and Remembering the Urban ‘Slum’; George
Elliott Clarke, The Death & Rebirth of Africadian Nationalism.
Instructions
The exam must be typed and doubled spaced. Citation is essential. APA or MLA are acceptable. A
bibliography must be included. Remember to support your arguments/positions with evidence.
The exam is due on April 15th,2022. The takehome examination is to be submiited via Brightspace.