War and Memory Travel Course Spring 2013
Spring 2013
History 346L: War and Memory: the Canadian Experience in Europe in the First and Second World Wars
This course examines the Canadian experience of two world wars within the contexts of history and collective memory, and by means of on-site study. Students will explore the sites of the Great War battles of Second Ypres, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Amiens, and the Hundred Days. Studies of the Dieppe Raid, the Liberation of the Channel Ports, and the month-long battles to clear the approaches to Antwerp along the Scheldt Estuary will follow. Students will be based in Ypres (Iper) and Bruges in Belgium, Arras and Dieppe in France, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands (21 May to 1 June).
All students entering third and fourth year are eligible to apply. Those accepted for the course will receive a Laurier War and Memory Bursary covering the cost of all travel and accommodation while in Europe, as well as most meals. Students are responsible for air travel to and from Amsterdam, our gateway city plus some meals and incidental expenses.
Because admission to HI346 involves the provision of a bursary, the application process will be competitive; the committee will consider the applicant’s academic record, as well as other application materials. Applicants must submit a one-page statement of their relevant background and interest in the subject area, and arrange for two confidential letters of reference, at least one of which must be from a Laurier history professor, to be sent directly to the application committee c/o Dr. Darryl Dee, the History Undergraduate Officer. The application process opens on 1 November 2012.
Course requirements include two research essays, one of which will also serve as the basis of an on-site presentation. Active participation in daily discussions is also a course requirement. Regular classes will be scheduled for participants in the two weeks preceding departure (6 May-17 May).
