A new undergraduate degree program at 91亚色 that is dedicated to Indigenous Studies is already garnering praise from its inaugural cohort of students says the new program鈥檚 coordinator Professor Bonita Lawrence.
Bonita Lawrence
Lawrence and her colleagues thought it would be appropriate to host a formal launch of the Indigenous Studies Bachelor of Arts program to welcome new students and introduce the program to the University community. Everyone is invited to attend. The launch event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 12 to 4 p.m., in the second-floor conference centre located in the New Student Centre on 91亚色鈥檚 Keele Campus. (Organizers do need to receive confirmations from interested community members by no later than Friday, Oct. 12 to help with planning. .)
The launch will feature performances by , a drumming and singing group, traditional Indigenous cuisine and keynote presentations by Indigenous scholars. Delivering the event鈥檚 keynote presentations are Wilfrid Laurier University Professor , director of the Centre for Indigeogy in the Faculty of Social Work, and , director of the , Canada鈥檚 first Indigenous-led think tank.
The Indigenous Studies program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies began offering its first courses in September. The program has a substantial emphasis on experiential learning and provides students with opportunities to engage in culturally based activities or take a placement course in their fourth year. One of the program鈥檚 signature courses is Indigenous Spiritualities, which enables students to experience a range of Indigenous ceremonies, from participating in sweat lodges to spring fasting out on the land.
The program is unique because of its focus on urban Native communities, M茅tis studies and Indigenous-Black relations. 鈥淚n Toronto, where the majority of Native people are urban based and where 鈥楳茅tisness鈥 is poorly understood, we knew that we needed to address these areas in this program,鈥 says Lawrence, 鈥渂ut it is our focus on Indigenous-Black relations that is quite unique.
鈥淭he history of Indigenous-Black relations dates back over 200 years in Nova Scotia; their interactions continue to take place across Canada today,鈥 explains Lawrence. 聽鈥淲e feel that this is an area of Indigenous Studies that is sadly neglected in Canada, and that demands attention.鈥
Lawrence, who is Mi鈥檏maw, is Chair of the Department of Equity Studies at 91亚色. Her research and publications have focused primarily on urban, non-status M茅tis identities, federally unrecognized Aboriginal communities and Indigenous justice. She is the author of Fractured Homeland: Federal Recognition and Algonquin Identity in Ontario (UBC Press, 2012) and "Real" Indians and Others: Mixed-Blood Urban Native People and Indigenous Nationhood (University of Nebraska Press and UBC Press, 2004).
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