Indigenous Studies

It is essential that workers in the community and justice field have knowledge and understanding of colonization and its impacts on the people with whom we work. Students explore the relationships between Indigenous peoples and settler communities within the context of colonization. Students learn about the legislation and oppressive practices which have had and continue to have an impact on Indigenous people in Canada. These impacts include the Indian Act, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, contemporary approaches to child protective services and the over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system. Additionally, students examine cultural practices and symbols, self-determination, self-governance, the treaty-making process, as well as resistance and change movements.