Gary Evans, Interim Dean

IKERAS Minor in Indigenous Studies

The Minor in Indigenous Studies is a cross-disciplinary program to provide a better understanding of the place and importance of the Indigenous history, culture and knowledge systems.  The program starts with the broad teachings of Turtle Island and includes as part of the core courses the foundation stones of the Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies (IKERAS) and importance of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing to the creation of a better globe and community.  A Minor in Indigenous Studies offers students the ability to complement the learnings of their major degree.  The carefully selected set of core courses and elective Indigenous courses provide the student knowledge that can be beneficial for future graduate studies or for integration into their careers going forward.  Mi’kmaq culture and knowledge feature in a number of courses respecting whose land we are privileged to share knowledge on.  All courses are taught by Indigenous instructors.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN INDIGENOUS STUDIES
A Minor in Indigenous Studies consists of twenty-one (21) semester hours of credit taken from the list of approved courses.

The four core courses that must be taken to achieve a minor include:

• IKE 1040 Indigenous Teachings of Turtle Island

• IKE 2000 IKERAS Foundations

• IKE 2020 Indigenous Peoples of Canada

• IKE 3062 Introduction to Indigenous Knowledge and Worldviews

In addition, students must select three IKERAS elective courses.  Not all elective courses are offered every year.

Indigenous Studies Minor Core Courses
IKE 1040 Indigenous Teachings of Turtle Island
IKE 2000 IKERAS Foundations
IKE 2020 Indigenous Peoples of Canada
IKE 3062 Introduction to Indigenous Knowledge and Worldviews

Elective Courses for Minor in Indigenous Studies
IKE 2010 Mi’kmaq Language I
IKE 2030 Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change
IKE 2042 Introduction to Indigenous Music, Film, and Art
IKE 2046 Indigenous Literature
IKE 2055 Introduction to the Indian Act
IKE 2060 Indigenous Food Across Turtle Island
IKE 3065 Indigenous Health, Healing and Wellness
IKE 3090 Special Topics Course

COURSES

IKE 1040 INDIGENOUS TEACHINGS OF TURTLE ISLAND
This course is an introduction to the various Nations on Turtle Island. It will be a combination of classroom and culturally-based learning.  Anchored in L’nu (Mi’kmaq) knowledge, students will learn about ceremony, protocol, Elders and traditional teachers.  In turn, these will help foster a mental, physical, emotional and spiritual understanding of Indigenous worldviews and ways of knowing.  This course also introduces Canada’s history of genocide and cultural assimilation imposed upon Indigenous Peoples.  It will discuss why anyone living in Canada needs to know this history.
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2000 IKERAS FOUNDATIONS
This course is based on the foundations that led to the creation of the IKERAS Faculty.  The formation of the Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies (IKERAS) is grounded in three prime documents; the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRC) 94 Calls to action, the 2019 231 Calls to Justice by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the 2018 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).  Students will learn the importance of each document and why they represent the cornerstones to reconciliation.
PREREQUISITE:  IKE 1040
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2010 MI’KMAQ LANGUAGE I
This course is intended for students with no proficiency in the language. This course introduces the Mi’kmaq language, through the study of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. It includes numerous oral drills, frequent written exercises, short oral presentations and simple readings. The objectives are to improve listening comprehension and fundamental vocal expressiveness.
PREREQUISITE:  None
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2020 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN CANADA
Students will be introduced to the historical and contemporary social, economic, legal and political perspectives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. Using anthropological and sociological theories and scholarly work, as well as ‘experiencing’ cultural practices through ‘community connections’ and visual culture, the primary focus will be to develop a student’s understanding of and respect for Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Cross-listed with Sociology/Anthropology 2220.
PREREQUISITE:  IKE 1040
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2030 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
This course brings knowledge of Canadian Indigenous communities’ relationship to the environment as valuable lessons for understanding climate vulnerability, impacts and adaptation.  Students will be led by a local First Nations teacher whose valuable insights to implementing efficient uses of our land and spiritual relationships with nature can assist in addressing global sustainability.
Cross-listed with ACC 2030.
PREREQUISITE:  None
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2042 INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS MUSIC, FILM, AND ART
Students will be introduced to the evolution of Music, Film, and Art of Indigenous First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. Students will develop an understanding of how these works represent spiritual and living narratives, how these were shaped, and continue to be shaped, thus defining the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
PREREQUISITE:  None
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2046 INDIGENOUS LITERATURE
This course will serve as an introductory survey to Indigenous literature on Turtle Island (what is now Canada, the US and Mexico). The work we study will span the period often called the Native Literary Renaissance, and the years immediately preceding this, from 1954 onwards. This was a time when work written by Indigenous writers reaches a main-stream non-Indigenous, non-academic audience.
PREREQUISITE:  IKE 1040
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2055 INTRODUCTION TO THE INDIAN ACT
Students will be introduced to the Indian Act which has dominated, impacted and shaped the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada since its inception in 1876. Students will develop an understanding of the purpose of the Act, and how through its many amendments it continues to serve as an apparatus of power and control over all aspects of Indigenous peoples’ lives. This course will examine why this discriminatory framework is not so easily abolished, and will challenge students thinking about broader issues of much needed change within colonial institutions.
PREREQUISITE:  None
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2060 INDIGENOUS FOOD ACROSS TURLTE ISLAND
Food cultivation and the development of an extraordinary agriculture and network of trade will be explored. The storage, processing, preparation, and transportation of food will also a critical component of this course. The current diabetes and other health epidemics amongst Indigenous Peoples will be addressed; also, how these may be effectively combatted through traditional foods and nutrition. There will be a hands-on opportunity of working with a pre-contact style Mi’kmaq garden and with the preparation and cooking of traditional Mi’kmaq foods.
PREREQUISITE:  None
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 2800 INDIGENOUS LAWS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
This course explores Indigenous law and constitutionalism, the impacts of colonization on Indigenous laws and its ongoing legitimization in contemporary society. This course will examine how Indigenous legal traditions are articulated through decolonizing approaches such as drawing out of Indigenous historic knowledge systems based on Indigenous worldviews. It also examines how these laws can be applied at a time of transitioning to self-governance and practicing self-determination. What will be learned is how Indigenous laws
differ from western laws; how to understand the Indigenous constitutionalism as an Indigenous governance framework; how to engage with Indigenous stories and articulate their legal principles; and how Indigenous laws can be applied in Indigenous contemporary settings by examining their spaces for their ongoing
application and practices.
PREREQUISITE:  IKE 1040
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 3062 INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND WORLDVIEWS
This course introduces Indigenous ways of knowing through active participation.  This course introduces students to an understanding of traditional ceremonies, worldview, creation stories and other narrative forms of knowing.  By taking part in basic ceremonies and related practices, students will obtain knowledge of how Mi’kmaq people connect to each other, the land, other creatures and the world.  This course will also explore certain ceremonies and teachings often referred to as “women’s teachings” by reviewing literature and conducting research on teachings, ceremonies, and issues related to Indigenous women.
PREREQUISITE:  IKE 1040
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 3065 INDIGENOUS HEALTH, HEALING AND WELLNESS
Students will be introduced to the determinants of Indigenous peoples’ health in Canada. Using both the anthropological and sociological lens, students will develop an understanding of approaches to health and healing that resonate with Indigenous peoples through readings and a collective exploration. Students will understand that health is one of the most significant issues that defines the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
PREREQUISITE:  IKE 1040
Three semester hours of credit

IKE 3090 SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE
Topics or issues explored outside of existing courses.  Special topics offered by the Faculty of Indigenous, Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies.
PREREQUISITE:  None
Three semester hours of credit