HIST3480*01: Workplace Learning: Heritage Planning in Guelph
Fall 2025
Credit Weight: 0.5
Prerequisites: 7.50 credits including 1.50 HIST or equivalent credits. Instructor permission is required.
Wednesdays 10:00am-1:00pm [with some flexibility to leave a bit early]
Class meets on campus on Sept 10 and 17; and thereafter at City Hall
Course Synopsis: Guelph’s heritage properties are the roots of our community. Embedded in their walls are diverse stories of ordinary people that called this city their home. They tell stories of failure and success, joy and tragedy, love and hate, war and peace, persecution and liberation - stories that are integral for understanding shared history and identity. However, recent legislative changes have made 80% of Guelph’s heritage properties vulnerable to demolition. In this course, students will learn about heritage conservation, heritage legislation, and the research methods and resources used in the heritage field directly from heritage planners at the City of Guelph. Each student will be assigned a historic property and will utilize their research skills to reveal its history and evaluate its cultural heritage value. This course will give students foundational skills and knowledge required for a career in heritage conservation.
Method of Delivery: In-person. You will attend two introductory on-campus class meetings at the start of the semester, and then conduct mostly independent work at City Hall in downtown Guelph. Classes will be held mid-day at a location TBA – but quite probably in the History department -- during the first weeks of the semester, and independent work will be done mid-week at City Hall in the 10:00am to 1:00pm window, probably on Wednesdays). You will have the opportunity to visit City Hall and are also expected to conduct in-person archival research at local archives, libraries, and museums. In-person classes will not be recorded for later viewing, so students are expected to attend all in-person components. Furthermore, two site visits will be planned to tour heritage districts in the City of Guelph with heritage planning staff.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- identify archival resources used in conducting heritage property research
- read and understand nineteenth-century handwriting
- describe architectural styles and features
- understand the history of Guelph
- understand how to search ONLand and read land registers
- understand heritage legislation in Ontario
5. communicate compelling history
8. reflect upon their work in a critical manner
Methods of Evaluation and Weights:
Class Participation 15%
Preliminary Research Report 25%
Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report 40%
Reflection Notes 20%
Texts and/or Resources Required:
No Required Textbook. In-person access to archives in the City of Guelph is required.
*Please note: This is a preliminary web course description only. The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description. The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.
