The BAH MAJ and BAH MED plans in Indigenous Studies is housed in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The plans combine courses from a wide range of departments (Art History; Biology; Drama; Economics; English, Film Studies; Gender Studies; Geography; Global Development; History; Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Law, Political Studies; and Religion),ensuring that students are exposed to a diversity of perspectives on Indigenous topics. The plans, therefore, not only reflect the interdisciplinary focus of Indigenous Studies but also contribute to new iterations of the discipline.
The BAH MAJ and BAH MED plans in Indigenous Studies will unite traditional classroom education directly with experiential learning while increasing University/community partnerships to deliver authentic experiences, routed in Indigenous epistemologies, methodologies, and frameworks.
The core of the plans include introductory courses on Indigenous Studies and topics in Indigenous Human Ecology, a required course on Indigenous theories and methodologies, a required Indigenous language component and, for the Major, a capstone project course allowing students to explore an issue in Indigenous studies through both library and community-based research.
Option courses will deepen and broaden students’ understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems through a wide variety of courses from various disciplines. These option courses will be part of the plans where they include
- a significant proportion of Indigenous content or methodologies:
- the exploration and use of Indigenous ways of knowing (holistic, land-based, community oriented, traditional, unique; and
- use of forms of Indigenous pedagogy.