College News

Congratulations to SETS PhD student Brian Lefresne, who has received a Morroe Berger–Benny Carter research award from the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University.

SETS English Professor Christine Bold has received two prestigious awards for her most recent book, The Frontier Club: Popular Westerns and Cultural Power, 1880-1924 (Oxford UP, 2013):  the 2014 Thomas J. Lyon Book Award in Western American Literary and Cultural Studies (sponsored by the Western Literature Association) and the 2014 Robert K. Martin Prize for Best Book (sponsored by the Canadian Association for American Studies).

Dionne Brand's play thirsty, based on the linked poetry collection of the same title, premiered to critical acclaim November 5th at NAC Studio in Ottawa. NOW Magazine says "Brand's is a voice both brave and beautiful."

Professor Ric Knowles has just published Fundamentals of Directing with Playwrights Canada Press. The book is illistrated by SETS professor Pat Flood.

The Department has formed a Diversity and Climate Committee to work towards welcoming everyone into the practice of Philosophy.

On Wednesday, Dr. Matthew Hayday spoke with eleven different CBC Radio One shows, from Cape Breton to Whitehorse! On the shows, Matthew discussed the post-politics careers of various 20th century Canadian Prime Ministers.

Here's a sample from On the Coast, CBC Vancouver - Matthew's interview is at 2:06:00

This June, Alan Gordon and Susan Nance are featured in a special issue of Histoire sociale/Social History on tourism in Canada with articles on pioneer vilages as living history museums, and on horses of the 1920s Calgary Stampede, respectively.

The special issue is the result of a Fall 2014 workshop on Canadian tourism history sponsored by Jack Little and Ben Bradley, held in Vancouver BC. Other departmental participants included our own Linda Mahood, who featured some of her forthcoming research on hitchhiking and youth cultures, and Kevin James, who delivered a keynote speech on the culture hotels and inns in 19th century Ireland.

get the postcard .pdf

History graduate students in HIST6280 - Canada: Community and Identity, an MA course taught by Dr. Catharine Wilson, have each created a half-hour radio show on CFRU Radio 93.3 FM featuring a diarist from the Rural Diary Archive website. See the schedule below!

The Rural Diary Archive website is funded by the Francis and Ruth Redelmeier Professorship in Rural History. For more, visit the Rural Diary Archive

The project has also been featured in The Ontarion

Thursday June 2, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: James Carpenter, Lambton County, 1880-84," by Joanne Ryan

Thursday June 9, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: Samson Howell, Brant County, 1868-69," by Karley McLinden

Thursday June 16, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: James Bowman, Guelph, World War I," by Kyle Pritchard

Thursday June 23, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: John Phenix, Simcoe County, 1896-97," by Marissa Gareau

Thursday June 30, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: Elizabeth Simpson, Dufferin County, 1878-82," by Nicholas VanExan

Thursday July 7, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: William Standen, Simcoe County, 1879," by Jodey Hodgins

Thursday July14, 1:00-2:00 pm 
“Rural Diary Archive: Matilda Hill, Wellington County, 1884-85," by Katrina Gale

Dr. Cathryn Spence (MA '06) has just accepted a teaching position at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC. After her time with us, Cathryn earned a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, then came back to Guelph as a SSHRC-finded post-doctoral researcher here in the Department. At VIU, Cathryn will be teaching medieval and early modern history.

This past February, Cathryn also published her first monograph, Women, Credit, and Debt in Early Modern Scotland (Manchester University Press, 2016). Cathryn's research is the first full-length consideration of women's economic roles in early modern Scottish towns. Drawing on tens of thousands of cases entered into burgh court litigation between 1560 and 1640 in Edinburgh, Dundee, Haddington and Linlithgow, she explores how Scottish women navigated their courts and their communities, especially as merchants, merchandisers, producers and sellers of ale, landladies, moneylenders and servants. 

Congratulations from all of us!