Course Descriptions

This course introduces students to the broad issues relating to Indigenous People’s Health & Well-Being in Canada and internationally through a decolonizing lens. It will cover foundational historical, political, social, economic, cultural and contemporary determinants of health. These will include, but are not limited to, issues relating to treaties & health, Indigenous health traditions of healing and care, Indigenous cultural values on health & well-being, traditional medicines, colonialism and decolonization, Indigenous health status, Indigenous health services, impacts of social determinants of health, mental health issues including intergenerational trauma, environment related issues of food, water security and climate change, and impacts of Indigenous social movements, international cooperation, UNDRIP and TRC, and emerging Indigenous health research.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units 100-level INDG and 3 credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST.

This course introduces students to the rich and complex natures, forms and diversities of Indigenous Knowledge in comparative and local contexts. The focus will be on the relevance of local/traditional/Indigenous knowledge to decolonization, environmental sustainability, and self-governance.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 210 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 210 until 2015.

Nehiyaw Tapsinowin is an introductory survey course of Cree cultural histories in North America with emphasis on Cree societies, experiences, resiliency strategies, and perspectives in present-day Saskatchewan. It will provide deeper insights into Cree history and life, knowledge translation, nihiyawéwin (Cree language, Cree speaking), the historical roots of contemporary issues, community engagement and research. Students will have the opportunity to work with Elders on research projects and gain experiential knowledge through participation in Cree social and cultural activities.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 212 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 212 until 2015.

Through lectures, readings, seminar workshops and research, students will examine Métis writing for political and poetic themes such as identity, sovereignty, government relations, Indigenous rhetoric, identity, and worldview. The course will draw upon examples of historic and contemporary writing from speeches, essays, poetry, biography, novels, correspondence, songs, plays, and writing in public spaces.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, ENG, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 298 Métis Political and Poetic Writing or NS 215 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 215 until 2015.

This course explores the presence of the past in contemporary Indigenous life in present-day Canada. Through lectures, readings, discussions, assignments and guest-speakers, students will gain a deeper understanding of the sources and natures of selected current issues by interrogating them in their historical contexts.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s):INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for INDG 261.3 or INDG 262.3 may not take this course for credit.

This course will review the major court decisions rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada, U.S. Supreme Court, various provincial courts, and other tribunals that have shaped the scope of Aboriginal rights in Canada. In addition, the course will examine the role that Indigenous Studies scholars can play in court proceedings.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 220 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 220 until 2015.

Examines issues around Indigenous foods looking at contributions, impacts and threats within a local and global context. Historically many of the world's foods originate and have been adapted by Indigenous peoples and were the basis for thriving local economies. Modern developments are having major social, cultural and health impacts on Indigenous communities. This course will examine some of those impacts and what Indigenous peoples and their allies are doing to restore and preserve local economies.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 480 or NS 221 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 221 until 2015.

This course focuses on a wide range of Indigenous gender issues and provides valuable information about past and current Indigenous male and female gender roles. Emphasis is placed on the historical context as a means of understanding the effects of colonialism, sexism, and racism on the lived experiences of Indigenous men and women. Current theories and methodologies of Indigenous feminism will be explored.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 298 Gender in Traditional and Contemporary Indigenous Societies or NS 230 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 230 until 2015.

What is science? Is Indigenous knowledge scientific knowledge? These and related questions are addressed in this course through an exploration of Indigenous and Western scientific ways of understanding nature and the universe. The course is designed to develop students' scientific literacy and cultural competence, providing a foundation for future learning and/or work with science and Indigenous peoples. Special attention will be paid to the ways that these knowledge systems situate humans in relation to the natural world. This class uses online learning; readings; classroom discussions; field experiences; and visits with Elders, scientists, and knowledge keepers to explore the tensions, complementarities, and combined possibilities of Indigenous and Western science.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: This intensive course utilizes online learning, classroom learning, and three full days of land-based experiential learning (one urban and two wilderness days). Students enrolling in this course will be responsible for providing their own transportation, food, and other equipment as required. Students with credit for NS 241 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 241 until 2015.

This course develops student understandings of research methodologies, concepts and practices in Indigenous Studies. It will introduce students to qualitative and quantitative research methods including Indigenous research methodologies, methods and techniques. It provides students with research knowledge, skills and tools for performing research in Indigenous communities.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for INDG 350.6 may not take this course for credit.

Studies the adaptations and persistence of family as the fundamental unit of social and political organization of Aboriginal society from mid-19th century to the present. Topics to be considered are kinship, marriage, birth culture, child rearing, rites of passage, education, and interface with Canadian institutions and mainstream cultural expectations. Format is lectures, readings, seminars, guest speakers, film and research.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 298 Cultural Survival of Aboriginal Family or NS 255 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 255 until 2015.

This course will examine the development and practice of Aboriginal Child Welfare in Canada from historic to contemporary times. Within a framework of examining the issue of Aboriginal control of child welfare as a right within the inherent right of self-government, major themes and concepts to be explored will include the “best interests of the child and Western liberal individual rights principles,” “rights of the First Nations child,” “over-representation” issues and challenges faced by First Nations controlled Family and Child Services. Additional areas of “child welfare” will also be examined. It will also consider critical/Indigenous perspective related to central themes, discourses and concepts within Aboriginal Child Welfare policy and practice. The course format includes lectures, readings, case studies, guest speakers, film and research.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 298.3 A Critical Survey of the History of Indigenous Child Welfare in Canada or NS 256 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 256 until 2015.

An analysis of contemporary Canadian political and administrative processes as they affect Indigenous Peoples. Emphasis will be placed on the Federal system of government and its effects on Indigenous identity, community programs and local autonomy.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 207, NS 263, or NS 264 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 264 until 2015.

Surveys the historic, political and economic causes of Aboriginal underdevelopment. Government-sponsored development projects will be examined and new strategies for Aboriginal economic development will be explored.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 304, NS 365, or NS 265 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 265 until 2015.

Surveys literature (folklore, biography, drama, poetry and novels) about and by the Indigenous Peoples of North America. A multifaceted approach (aesthetic, linguistic, historical, and cultural) will be employed in examining this literature.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, ENG, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 211 or NS 270 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 270 until 2015.

This course will examine Canadian Aboriginal and American Indian gangs. Students will consider the historical and societal context within which Indigenous gangs are produced leading to an increased awareness and understanding of Indigenous youth participation in gangs. Some topics to be covered include: reservation/reserve and urban connections, the inter-generational impacts of the residential/boarding school, female gangs/gang members, institutionalized (criminal justice system) interactions, and the impact of prisons on the perpetuation of Indigenous gangs.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 273 or NS 298.3 North American Indigenous Gangs: A Comparison of Canada and the United States may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 273 until 2015.

Through lectures and seminar readings, the origin and development of the Metis is analyzed. Emphasizes the historical significance of the Metis in the development of Western Canada. Discusses contemporary issues of the Metis.

Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 200 or NS 280 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 280 until 2015.

Traces the history of Western Canadian First Nations from the earliest contact to the present era.

Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): INDG 107.3 and 3 additional credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST
Note: Students with credit for NS 203 or NS 281 may not take this course for credit. This course was labeled NS 281 until 2015.

The Métis people have frequently been referred to as the Free Peoples; “lii gens libres” /“Otipemisiwak” in Cree. In this course, students will learn about the dynamic history of the Métis peoples through the voices and perspectives of Métis thinkers and knowledge keepers. This course provides students with a survey of Métis histories in relation to lands, labour and political engagements of the nineteenth and twentieth century, and experiences utilizing Métis research methods, theories and core concepts. In centering Métis community experiences, students will learn concepts that include the ethnogenesis of the Métis, resistance, mobility, and wakootowin. This course provides students with experiential learning opportunities to engage deeper into topics such as Métis artistic expression, education, spirituality, and lands. Through readings and guest speakers, students will encounter Métis scholars, writers and thinkers who have preserved and transmitted Métis histories, grounded in Métis worldviews and perspectives.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units 100-level INDG and 3 credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST

The Métis have gone from being “the forgotten people” to one of Canada’s three recognized Aboriginal peoples in the 1982, Constitution Act. In the years since 1982, Métis Studies has emerged as a flourishing field of critically interrogating Métis history, nationhood and peoplehood. This interdisciplinary course introduces students to foundational texts and emerging areas, situating Métis studies in the wider field of Indigenous Studies. This course will explore new areas of inquiry including Métis futurisms, Land Back and the emergence of claims to Métis identity outside the Métis homeland. Métis writers, thinkers and artists will form the basis of the course readings.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units 100-level INDG and 3 credit units from ANTH, ARCH, ECON, GEOG, INDG, LING, NS, POLS, PSY, SOC, or WGST

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: This course was labeled NS 298 until 2015. Additional fees may apply to some sections of this course. Please contact the department for information

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: This course was labeled NS 299 until 2015.