Victoria Silman | Assistant News Editor
Featured Image: The Indigenous Studies program is being offered under the Department of equity studies. | Ayaat Hassan
On October 17, the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS) launched a new program called Indigenous studies. Under the direction of the program’s Coordinator, Professor Bonita Lawrence, Indigenous studies will offer students an in-depth education of Indigenous culture.
“The program has a central focus on Indigenous culture, knowledge, land, and identity; however, it also addresses fairly unique areas of Indigenous Studies, including Native-Black relations, Métis perspectives, and the circumstances of urban and non-status Native people,” explains Lawrence.
Upon it’s announcement, the university emphasized the advantages the program will offer students in relation to various aspects of Indigenous culture.
According to the press release written by Advisor and Deputy Spokesperson Yanni Dagonas: “The program will give students the opportunity to engage with Indigenous ceremonies, choose experiential knowledge courses that will enable them to study an Indigenous language or work with traditional knowledge keepers to learn about land-based knowledge and cultural practices.”
Indigenous studies is officially slated to begin at the start of the Fall 2019 term; however, some courses are being offered to students during the upcoming winter, including the third-year course, Indigenous Protocols and Methodologies, as well as Introduction to Indigenous Studies which will be offered in the summer term.
In the fall/winter 2019-2020 terms, several classes will be offered to incoming students, including five core courses: Introduction to Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Spiritualities in the Contemporary World, Métis Studies, Indigenous Protocols and Methodologies, and Indigenous Theory.
“Students can choose other courses, including three-credit and six-credit experiential education courses, in which they can take part in cultural activities for credit, courses on Indigenous Women, courses on Indigenous-Black Relations, and courses on Treaties and the Indian Act,” Lawrence adds.
“Starting next year, they can take Introduction to Ojibwe Language. We will be offering a fourth-year placement course soon.”
The program offers six degree options, including a Specialized Honours, BA, and Honours BA. However, alongside Indigenous studies, students have the option to add a minor or double major in other programs. As it is quite new, students must go through the Office of the Registrar in order to register for these options.
For those interested in the program, there are many career options. As Lawrence explains: “With a BA in Indigenous studies, students can do policy work with governments, with Indigenous organizations, or non-governmental organizations. But Indigenous studies is also one of the best choices for those interested in law, social work, education, nursing, or other careers where they will frequently come in contact with Indigenous peoples.”
The program has been in the works for roughly two years—fathered in by the Multicultural and Indigenous studies (MIST) program.
According to Lawrence: “For several years, the Department of Equity Studies offered a stream in Indigenous studies as part of the program race, ethnicity and Indigeneity (now known as MIST). However, when the Indigenous Studies stream became an independent program, it provided more space to address culture, language, and spirituality, as well as a focus on the land.”
