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Indigenous Studies
This program provides in-depth knowledge of Indigenous issues including First Nations cultures and Indigenous knowledge, historical contexts, natural and cultural resource management, and legal and public policy issues. Learners engage in dialogue and discussion around these issues and evaluate them, considering Indigenous perspectives. This program is comprised of at least 30 units of upper division or graduate level courses.
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Requirements
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Students can apply for entry in the fall, spring or summer terms. Consult with the Indigenous studies advisor for admission deadlines.
Program Requirements
The post baccalaureate diploma (PBD) program can be completed through full-time or part-time study. Upon university admission, students must be approved for entry and must complete a PBD course plan. Completion is expected within two or three years, to a maximum of five years, with a 2.5 GPA in all diploma courses. Transfer credit may be approved if it meets the program requirements, and at least 18 of the 30 required units are completed at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV. Transfer credit application must be initiated at the time of university application. Credit applied to this program may not be applied to another ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV certificate, diploma or degree, or vice-versa. Students should plan their program in consultation with the Indigenous studies advisor.
Prerequisite Courses
Students complete both of
Introduces the nature and goals of Indigenous Studies as an academic discipline that emphasizes cultures and homelands of First Peoples. Students with credit for FNST 101 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Bryan Myles |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
Bryan Myles |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Surrey |
|
Joyce Schneider |
Online | ||
Online | |||
Sandie Dielissen |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Oct 10, 2023: Tue, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
An examination of fact and ideology in history and historic events involving contact between Indigenous and European peoples. The course will also address questions of research methodologies in studying Indigenous/European relations, such as the evaluation of oral history and written ethnohistoric sources. An additional focus will be on gender as it influences perspectives. Students with credit for FNST 201W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Social Sci.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Chelsey Armstrong |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Fri, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
Online |
Core Courses
Students complete all of
Involves a survey and examination of method, theory and related topics associated with contemporary Indigenous Studies research in applied contexts. Ethical conduct and protocols for working within First Nations communities are reviewed. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Students with credit for FNST 301 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Wenona Hall |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Oct 10, 2023: Tue, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
An examination of Indigenous peoples' perspectives on political, social and legal issues involving their rights as first citizens of Canada and North America, and the practical and political relations with various levels of government. Issues examined include: Indigenous rights and title, self government models and concepts, constitutional matters, the impact of federal government policies, including their impact on women's lives, and Indigenous communities and politics. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Recommended: POL 221. Students with credit for FNST 401 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Eldon Yellowhorn |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Style and content of Indigenous people's discourse about their culture, world view, history and matters affecting their lives. Includes the analysis of selections from Indigenous oral literature, autobiography, expository writing, modern poetry and fiction. Prerequisite: 60 units and one of INDG (or FNST) 101 or INDG (or FNST) 201W. Students with credit for INDG (or FNST) 402 or FNST 402W may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
This course explores the subject of traditional Indigenous knowledge and its contemporary implications for Indigenous programs in such areas as economic development, ecotourism, spiritualism, language retention, biodiversity, ethnoscience, environmentalism, and heritage conservation. Indigenous perspectives on patents, copyrights, and other creative products from traditional culture will also be examined through lecture, guest speakers and seminar presentation. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or INDG (or FNST) 201W. Students with credit for FNST 403 may not take this course for further credit.
Additional Electives
The remaining 18 elective units will be chosen by completing additional units chosen from
Introduces students to the historical and contemporary contexts of treaty relations between settlers and the First Peoples of Turtle Island. Provides critical insight into the various treaties within Canada; treaty negotiations, including Indigenous oral histories; Indigenous resistance to treaty infringements; and other important legislation impacting treaty rights.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Eldon Yellowhorn |
Online |
Misrepresentations of Indigenous peoples are a staple of non-Indigenous film and television. This course provides students with the tools to analyze how Indigenous filmmakers are counteracting stereotypes and colonial narratives by creating their own visual content. Prerequisite: INDG 101. Students with credit for INDG (or FNST) 322 under the title "Indigenous Film" or "Indigenous Film and Resurgence" may not take this course for further credit.
Examines selected themes in the history of Aboriginal peoples of North America from first contact with Europeans to the mid-nineteenth century. Prerequisite: 45 units including INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Students with credit for FNST 325 or HIST 325 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Nicholas May |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Oct 10, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m. Oct 10, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby Burnaby |
Examines selected themes in the history of Aboriginal peoples of North America from first contact with Europeans to the mid-nineteenth century. Prerequisite: 45 units, including six units of lower division history. Students with credit for FNST 325 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Nicholas May |
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Oct 10, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m. Oct 10, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby Burnaby |
Examines selected themes in the history of Aboriginal peoples of North America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Prerequisite: 45 units including INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Students with credit for FNST 326 or HIST 326 may not take this course for further credit.
Examines selected themes in the history of Aboriginal peoples of North America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Prerequisite: 45 units, including six units of lower division history. Students with credit for FNST 326 may not take this course for further credit.
Themes and issues relating to the historical and contemporary experiences of Indigenous women in Canada: Indigenous theories of gender; evolution and political function of stereotypes of Indigenous women in Canada; history of Canadian legislation regulating Indigenous identity; relevance of feminist analysis; and history of activism. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or INDG (or FNST) 201W. Students who have taken INDG (or FNST) 322 under this topic may not take this course for further credit. INDG (or FNST) 327 and GSWS 327 (or WS 327) are identical and students may not take both courses for credit.
Examines written works on sexuality and gender including the history of representations of the sexualized savage; the discussion of Indigenous concepts of gender, including discussions of two-spirit versus gay identity; homophobia and sexual violence as tools of colonization; the emancipatory potential of erotica. Prerequisite: 45 units. Students with credit for FNST 329 or INDG (or FNST) 322 may not take this course for further credit.
This course is an introduction to the study of plant knowledge and use by Indigenous peoples. It provides students with information about the role of plants in Indigenous cultures including such areas as foods, medicines, technology, ceremony, ecological indicators, and within Indigenous knowledge and classification systems. Special focus may be placed on the ethnobotany of one or more Indigenous groups or culture areas. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or INDG (or FNST) 201W. Students with credit for FNST 332 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Science.
This course explores the unique relationship that Indigenous peoples of North America have with animals. It examines how they named, classified, used and managed animals and compares this to western science. Prerequisite: Either INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W. Students with credit for INDG (or FNST) 222 under this topic may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Robert Bandringa |
Online |
Examines issues that arise when Aboriginal people must balance economic development and cultural integrity. Topics include self-reflexive internalist research, ethics and best practices in representing Indigenous heritage, public laws and land claim agreements affecting heritage, the exhumation and repatriation of human remains and religious freedom and access to sacred sites and objects. Prerequisite: 45 units or permission of the instructor. Students who have taken INDG (or FNST) 322 previously under this topic may not take this course for further credit. Students with credit for FNST 353W may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Examines works of popular fiction by Indigenous authors and their use of specific genres (e.g. the mystery novel, vampire thriller, sci fi, comic book). Prerequisite: 45 units. Students with credit for ENGL 360, INDG (or FNST) 322 under this topic, or FNST 360 may not take this course for further credit.
Examines works of popular fiction by Indigenous authors, and their use of specific genres (e.g. the mystery novel, vampire thriller, sci fi, comic book). This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses. Students who have taken FNST 322 under this topic, or FNST 360 may not take this course for further credit.
A studio course. Review, analysis, and understanding of Indigenous poetry and poetics of the Americas including samples from oral traditions, ethnography, song poems, and the contemporary published record. Practice of low-tech printing such as relief, cut/engraving, stencil, monotype, and/or multiple colour technique to make multiple images, in direct democratic action. Prerequisite: 45 units and permission of instructor; no previous artistic training and/or experience are required. Students with credit for FNST 363 may not take this course for further credit.
Examines various art forms and aesthetic expressions of select Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Reviews techniques and protocols for the gathering and preparation of materials and the use of ethnographic materials, and provides learning through hands-on practice. Prerequisite: 45 units and permission of instructor; no previous artistic training and/or experience is required. Students with credit for INDG (or FNST) 322 under the topic 'Indigenous Expressive Arts' with a focus in crafts may not take this course for further credit. Students with credit for FNST 383 may not take this course for further credit.
Introduces basic editorial principles fashioned by an understanding of Indigenous practices and protocols to demonstrate how Indigenous people's ways of being, worldviews, and life experiences play into editorial decision-making. Students will develop an informed and case-by-case approach of their own by critically applying principles learned from Indigenous storytellers themselves. Prerequisite: or Corequisite: INDG 101 or 201W. Students with credit for PUB 410 or PUB 480 under the title "Indigenous Editing" offered in Spring 2022 may not take this course for further credit.
An in-depth examination of Aboriginal/Indigenous conceptions of justice in dealing with crime and other trouble in Indigenous communities, and in relations among peoples. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W, or CRIM 101, or permission of the instructor. Students with credit for CRIM 416, CRIM 418, CRIM 419, or FNST 419 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Ted Palys |
Sep 6 – Oct 6, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Oct 11 – Dec 5, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
An in-depth examination of Aboriginal/indigenous conceptions of justice in dealing with crime and other trouble in indigenous communities, and in relations among peoples. Prerequisite: CRIM 101 or FNST 101 or 201 or permission of the instructor. Students with credit for this course as CRIM 416 or 418, or FNST 419, may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Ted Palys |
Sep 6 – Oct 6, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Oct 11 – Dec 5, 2023: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
Special Topics in Indigenous Studies. Students may repeat this course for further credit under a different topic. Variable units: 3, 4, 5. Prerequisite: Will vary according to the topic.
An examination of how relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples framed and were framed by the development of international law from the 15th century onward. Prerequisite: INDG (or FNST) 101 or 201W, or CRIM 101, or permission of instructor. Students with credit for FNST 429, CRIM 429, or under CRIM 416 or 418 under the title "Indigenous Peoples and International Law" or "Indigenous Peoples and Evolving International Relations" may not take this course for further credit.
An examination of how relations between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples framed and were framed by the development of international law from the 15th century onward. Prerequisite: CRIM 101 or FNST 101 or 201 or permission of instructor. Students with credit for CRIM 416, or 418 under the title "Indigenous Peoples and International Law" or "Indigenous Peoples and Evolving International Relations", or FNST 429 may not take this course for further credit.
Examines contemporary writings regarding Indigenous environmental logic and environmental concerns of contemporary times. Studies effects of resource extraction upon Indigenous nations, globalization, genetic modifications, health, intellectual property, spiritual beliefs, culture and society, art and language and compares these with specific Indigenous logic at the time of contact. Prerequisite: 45 units. Students with credit for FNST 433 may not take this course for further credit.
Directed readings for upper level students in Indigenous Studies who wish to study selected topics in depth. May be repeated once when topic is different. Variable units: 2, 3, 4, 5. Prerequisite: 15 units in Indigenous (or First Nations) Studies. Corequisite: Permission of an instructor and department.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
TBD | |||
TBD |
Traces the development of legal doctrine pertaining to Aboriginal peoples in Canada and the United States, including its shared roots in British colonial law and policy. Prerequisite: 45 units including INDG (or FNST) 101, 201W and one other INDG (or FNST) course; or permission of the instructor. Students with credit for FNST 443W, HIST 443, or HIST 485 or HIST 486 under this topic may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Traces the development of legal doctrine pertaining to Aboriginal peoples in Canada and the United States, including its shared roots in British colonial law and policy. Prerequisite: 45 units including nine units of lower division history. Students with credit for FNST 443, or HIST 485 or 486 under this topic may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Directed study for upper level students in a topic chosen in consultation with a supervisor. Explore Indigenous topics through research. Variable units: 2, 3, 4, 5. This course may be repeated for credit when topic is different. Prerequisite: 15 units of INDG (or FNST) courses; permission of an instructor and department approval. Corequisite: varies depending on topic.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
TBD | |||
TBD |
Examines protocol, theory, responsibility, issues of domain (including inherent rights) involving traditional oral testimony, storytelling, oral narrative in an Aboriginal/Nation-centric canon. Compares Aboriginal canon 'oral record' to Aboriginal individual first-person accounts. Prerequisite: 60 units including INDG (or FNST) 101 or INDG (or FNST) 201W and permission of the instructor. Students with credit for FNST 462 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
annie ross |
Sep 6 – Oct 6, 2023: Tue, 8:30–11:20 a.m.
Oct 11 – Dec 5, 2023: Tue, 8:30–11:20 a.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
|
B101 | TBD |
Other courses that have significant Indigenous content may be counted towards this program with Indigenous studies approval.
†only one of the two courses may be used
†â¶Ä may be completed more than once when offered as a different topic