EDII & Academics | Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science

Programs, Certificates and Notable Courses

Programs

Black Studies

The Faculty of Arts and Science launched a Minor in Black Studies in 2022 through the Department of Gender Studies. Black Studies is an interdisciplinary field, emphasizing the political, creative and intellectual lives of global diasporic communities. With several seminars speaking directly to the field of Black Studies, as well as multiple courses that attend to studies of race, colonialism, resistance, and anti-racism, students work with scholars and staff that are committed to thinking through questions of liberation and social change.

In addition to the Indigenous studies certificates and courses below, a number of departments offer courses and interdisciplinary programs related to EDII. See Programs & Degrees for more information.

Indigenous Studies

Pursue a Bachelor of Arts General Degree Plan in Indigenous Studies through the Department of Languages, Literatures and Culture, Faculty of Arts and Science. The Plan in Indigenous Studies is interdisciplinary, and can be completed either as a minor in combination with any major offered in the Faculty of Arts and Science or as a stand-alone general area of study in a three-year degree. The Plan is designed to draw together a range of course offerings on Indigenous histories, cultures, experiences, languages, and ways of knowing from 14 departments within Arts and Science. Students will develop a broad interdisciplinary knowledge base on Indigenous cultures, which is sought-after in careers in Education, Law, Business, Policy, Governance, Advocacy and Social Services.

This Plan will give both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Indigenous history and culture in order to ensure that future leaders and policymakers have a solid foundation in the histories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. Students will expand their knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures while developing professional skills, such as innovative Indigenous approaches to learning and research, which will help them to work with Aboriginal communities.

Certificate in Indigenous Languages and Cultures

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures now offers a Certificate in Indigenous Languages and Cultures. The Certificate will comprise a total of 15.0 Units taken from existing and new Indigenous language and culture courses. To ensure appropriate consultation with Indigenous leaders and knowledge keepers, the Certificate has been developed in partnership with the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre and Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na Language and Cultural Centre (TTO) in Tyendinaga, Ontario. The development of this Certificate acknowledges Queen’s location on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, and works toward the revitalization of several endangered languages. Courses in the Certificate will provide students with a rudimentary knowledge of the languages embedded in culturally rich, experiential and, where possible, land-based learning that introduces students to the many traditions, philosophies and histories of Indigenous peoples.

Certificate in Mohawk Language and Culture

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures now offers a Certificate in Mohawk Language and Culture. To ensure appropriate consultation with Indigenous leaders and knowledge keepers, the Certificate has been developed in partnership with Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre and Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na Language and Cultural Centre (TTO) in Tyendinaga, Ontario. It will comprise a total of 15.0 Units taken from existing and new Mohawk language and culture courses. The Certificate has been adapted from two successful post-secondary initiatives that TTO has delivered in partnership with Brock and Trent Universities in the past.

Courses

Many departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science offer courses which allow students to learn about Indigenous cultures, languages, environments, and histories.

Find individual department pages here.

The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Queen’s has several options available for students wishing to gain a thorough foundation in Indigenous cultures, and offers language courses in Mohawk and Inuktituk, as well as a degree plan in Indigenous studies.

Mohawk

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures offers two courses that explore Mohawk language and culture. These can be counted towards an Indigenous Studies minor, a World Language Studies minor, a Linguistics major or minor and can also be taken as electives that count toward other degree plans. Students will learn basic Mohawk language principles while gaining an understanding of the rich Mohawk culture from Thanyehténhas (Nathan Brinklow) who is Turtle Clan from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

Inuktitut

Inuktitut has been offered at Queen’s since 2013, and is taught by Professor Noel McDermott, who lived and taught in Nunavut for 35 years. The course gives students a rudimentary knowledge of the language and, through an exploration of traditions, philosophies and histories, an understanding of the rich Inuit cultures. The course is offered once a year and fills up very quickly every time. Students can count it towards a World Language Studies minor, a minor in Indigenous Studies, a Linguistics Plan, or as an elective towards another degree plan.

Black Studies

BLCK 200: Black Studies and the Politics of Liberation: An Introduction: This course will introduce students to black studies. Focusing on liberation struggles that are nested in black scholarly and creative works, the course maps out how black diasporic communities have navigated and resisted racism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppression.

BLCK 280: Special Topics in Black Studies: Black and Indigenous Poetics: Through a selection of readings by African writers and artists, students are asked read and think alongside Indigenous writers and artists about what it means to be in relation, to be human, to remember, and to resist. Students will be introduced to contemporary literary works, artistic productions and theories arising from encountering these works in dialogue. Students will learn to evaluate these works as spaces of political solidarity and critical thinking between writers, thinkers and artists working across continents.

Principal's Impact Courses

The Principal’s Impact Courses program is sponsored through the Office of the Principal and administered through the Centre for Teaching and Learning. The purpose of this exciting course redesign program is to enhance existing undergraduate courses in a way that encourages undergraduate research and inquiry. Funds are awarded for the development of sustainable, semester-long courses that directly support both the overall academic mission of Queen’s University and the strategic goals related to the enhancement of the learning experience of its students.

Proposed courses were required to address at least one of the identified themes:

Sustainability
Indigenous Identities
Queen’s 175^th Anniversary

This year, all three of the successful Principal’s Dream Course proposals came from the Faculty of Arts and Science, and all addressed the theme of Indigenous Identities. The three courses that were selected as Principal’s Dream Courses for implementation in the 2017/2018 school year were GPHY 3XX: Indigenous Perspectives on the Environment and Health, ENGL 218: Introduction to Indigenous Literatures and Cultures, and ASTR 101: The Solar System, which will be administered digitally through Arts and Science Online.

Pre-Doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous and Black Studies Students

The Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University is pleased to invite applications for three one-year Pre-Doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Students and three one-year Pre-Doctoral Fellowships for Black Studies Students.

The Fellowships are open to Indigenous and Black Studies students enrolled in a PhD program and working on doctoral research in the creative arts, humanities, social sciences or natural and physical sciences at an accredited university other than Queen’s University. Candidates must have completed all doctoral degree requirements except the final doctoral project (e.g. dissertation). They will be expected to compete their doctoral project during their tenure as a Fellow to receive their degree from their home institution.

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