Canada in the Cold War and Beyond Essay* Assignment

The question of ‘Who are we and what does Canada stand for?’ intensified during the
time after WWII as we shifted away from close ties to Britain and a shift towards increasing
entanglement with the United States, all while taking meaningful steps to redefine
ourselves. Indeed, we could even say that the narrative of Canadian autonomy changed. In
many ways it becomes a much more complex issue with autonomy being broadened beyond
that of national independence to include the movements for self-determination and rights
among individual Canadians while it also becomes challenged again and again at the
international level.

Assignment Focus
Sovereignty and autonomy (self-determination) in Canada in the post-war period. It is
up to you to determine the scope of your essay.

*Assignment Options
Your assignment is to craft a coherent, well-argued essay where you demonstrate
your understanding of the challenges to and opportunities for autonomy in the context of
the Cold War. This can be done in a standard written format BUT it can also be done in a
photo essay format. Both formats are challenging but both formats also present specific
opportunities. Do be aware that a high-quality photo essay is as much work as a traditional
essay. Your photos will need to be meaningful and purposefully curated and annotated.
(example: https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/an-immigrants-dream-for-a-better-life#)
Your written essay is 500-1000 words long (2-4 typed

Getting Started
Use the secondary source available to you to help you decide on your topic area then
use cbc.ca digital archives, government of Canada sites, Canadian Encyclopedia, etc. to
further deepen your comprehension of the issues.

The principal goal of education is to create [people] who are capable of doing new
things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - [people] who
are creative, inventive, and discoverers. The second goal of education is to form
minds which can be critical, can verify, and not accept everything they are offered.
 ~Jean Piaget Swiss psychologist and eminent thinker

Key topic areas that you can choose from include:

Canada in the Cold War
US/Canadian collaboration (DEW Line, Bowmarc Missiles, Avrow Arrow, Cuban
Missile Crisis, etc.), Canadian international contributions (UNEF, NATO, diplomatic
ties with Cuba and China, etc.)
Assertions of Indigenous rights
Residential schools, ‘60s scoop, Red Power movement in Canada, reactions to the
‘White Paper’, struggles for self-government, Nisga’a Final agreement
The rise of identity politics
Women’s Lib movement (including working conditions and reproductive
health/rights), LGBTQ+ rights movements, Red Power movement, multi-culturalism
Quebec Nationalism
Quiet revolution, FLQ crisis, 1980 and 1995 referenda and aftermath

You will need to explore the topic that you select but do note that you must have a thesis;
you must be arguing for a position that you can support through evidence. You will need to
include a bibliography and appropriate citations.
See: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/help-tools/Resources-for-Students.html

Criteria Not Meeting Minimally Meeting Exceeding

Meeting
Critical thinking
Clear articulation of a
position; reliable evidence
supports the thesis; writing
is/images are coherently
organized with logical flow
that adds to the strength of
the argument; sovereignty
and autonomy are fully
addressed; images are
meaningful and
encapsulate key ideas
being explored in the essay
Creative thinking
Analysis of the issue
demonstrates creativity and
original thought is evident in
the structure and evidence
used
Proper citations are used
and proper essay format
followed.