This course introduces the historical, anthropological, sociological, and political science perspectives on the origins and implications of major federal and provincial government policies bearing on Indigenous peoples. The course analyses, in broad terms, the history of Indigenous–European relations from the beginning of contact between the two groups to the current time. The course introduces the principle legal and statutory documents, such as treaties, the Indian Act, the British North America Act of 1867, and the Constitution Act of 1982, that form the basis of Canadian state policies towards Indigenous peoples.
In this survey course, we introduce the concepts of internal colonialism, decolonization, and Aboriginal self-government. We also explore the impact of Canadian economic policies, with special emphasis on how resource exploitation and the extension of social services have affected northern Aboriginal peoples socially, culturally, politically, and economically. Finally, we discuss Aboriginal land claims, using case studies of claims that have been or are being settled, either through the courts or by negotiations. This survey includes an examination of the significance of a land-based economy to the establishment of effective and self-sustaining Indian self-government.
This course presents a broad survey of the diverse forms of Indigenous education, highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous peoples and examining the development of recent social policy. The course relies on readings written by Indigenous scholars, activists, Indigenous knowledge holders, and community leaders to broaden students’ understandings of Indigenous Education.
It has long been recognized that Indigenous people make up a disproportionately large segment of the prison population in Canada. In this course, we discuss the reasons for this over-representation and some of the strategies Indigenous nations and communities are developing to address it.
This course examines the roles of women in traditional, pre-contact Aboriginal societies, the changes facing this group of women as a consequence of colonization, and contemporary issues of concern for Aboriginal women in Canada.
Indigenous Studies 390: Individual Research Projects in Indigenous Studies, gives you the opportunity to research an aspect of, or issue in, Indigenous Studies.
Indigenous Studies 391: Group Research Projects in Indigenous Studies is similar to most project courses: it is a student-initiated course that is based on a contracted study arrangement worked out between a group of students, an approved project supervisor, and Athabasca University.
Indigenous Studies 420—Indigenous Resistance is a three-credit, senior-level course designed to give you a broad survey of the diverse forms of Indigenous resistance to colonialism by highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples.
INST 493: Individual Directed Research in Government and Laws is similar to most project courses: it is a student-initiated course that is based on a contracted study arrangement worked out between a group of students, an approved project supervisor, and Athabasca University.