Shane is an MA student of history who obtained his BA in history and French from UBC. A tried-and-true Canadianist in general, his current research interests lie in Canadian constitutional and legal history, particularly the discourses surrounding the nature and function of the Crown and the monarchy in Canada in the early-to-mid twentieth century. He is under the supervision of Dr. Bradley Miller and is a recipient of a fellowship (CGS-M) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

In 2024, Shane was awarded a Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for his outstanding service as a teaching assistant in the Department.

Outside the History Department, Shane is a research assistant in the Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies. He is aiding Dr. Irem Ayan in her research on how the concept of neutrality in professional interpretation affects the behaviour of interpreters. In addition, Shane is proud of his work at UBC Child Care Services, where he served as a student child care assistant at the Kittiwake and Sandpiper child care centres from 2019 to 2023.

Shane is also a volunteer docent at the Roedde House Museum, where he researched and developed a display on Chinese-Canadian domestic servants, and a former board member of the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (SHFCB).

Research interests:

• Canadian history (general)
• The Crown in Canada and the Commonwealth
• Canadian constitutions and constitutional documents
• Canadian legal history
• Nineteenth- and twentieth-century history

Working thesis title: “Canada and the Seven Crowns of Greater Britain: Monarchy, Autonomy, and the Dominions and Canada, c. 1919-1953”

Conference paper: “The Seven Crowns of Greater Britain: Monarchy, Autonomy, and the Dominions, 1918-1953.” Presented at Shifting Tides History Conference, UBC, 1 February 2025.

Conference paper: “The Queen v. The Charter?: Exploring Constitutional Challenges against the Citizenship Oath, the Queen of Canada, and Beyond.” Presented at NOVA University Lisbon, 18 April 2024.

Affiliated Fellowships – Master’s Program, University of British Columbia, 2024

• Tina and Morris Wagner Foundation Fellowship
• Gertrude Langridge Graduate Scholarship in Humanities

Dean of Arts Graduate Student Research Award, University of British Columbia, 2024

Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, University of British Columbia, 2024

• Citation: “Shane Atienza is a passionate and skilled educator. He is dedicated to academic rigour and works hard to help his students to develop their ideas, better their work habits, and to reach their next level of achievement. He believes deeply in the talent of UBC undergraduates and he sees his role as helping them to realize their enormous potential.” (Submitted by Dr. Bradley Miller)

Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Award (Fellowship), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), 2023

BPOC Graduate Excellence Award, University of British Columbia, 2023

Supervisor: Dr. Bradley Miller

Teaching Assistantships W2024:

• HIST 220A: History of Europe, 1500-Present, Dr. Michael Lanthier
• LASO 350A: Topics in Law and Society (Canadian Criminal Justice History), Dr. Bradley Miller

Teaching Assistantships W2023:

• HIST 414 / CDST 350: Constitutions in Canadian History, Dr. Bradley Miller
• HIST 236: Public History in Canada – Memory, Representation, and Interpretation, Dr. Tamara Myers