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Indigenous Studies
Partner with Indigenous communities and work with Indigenous scholars to restore and revitalize traditional knowledges, ancient and modern aesthetics, languages and literatures. As a community of learners, the Department of Indigenous Studies connect academic rigor and Indigenous perspectives through activist research, creative production and community engagement.
This program studies traditional and contemporary issues involving Indigenous peoples of North America and Canada in particular. Designed for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, its focus is on Indigenous knowledge, cultures, languages, and histories, as well as the development of federal and provincial policy toward Indigenous peoples, Indigenous rights and title questions, economic development and self-government. The INDG major and minor critically presents and examines these issues with the perspectives of Indigenous peoples, and will present research methods pertinent to past, present and future issues affecting Indigenous peoples.
In Indigenous studies programs you will:
- Engage in comprehensive and interactive learning
- Gain expert traditional knowledge
- Study contemporary intersectionality
- Learn from Indigenous faculty and experts
- Develop your social research and hands-on skills
- Engage in peer learning
Program Options
Learn more about the different degrees and programs available to you at Indigenous Studies
Undergraduate options
Major
Joint Major
- Archaeology and Indigenous Studies Bachelor of Arts
- Indigenous Studies and Linguistics Bachelor of Arts
Minor
Co-operative Education Program
Certificate and Diploma
Career pathways
Indigenous studies opens up numerous pathways to a multitude of career options, particularly in or relating to the Indigenous community of Canada. These include but are not limited to:
- Indigenous community administration
- Policy analysis or research
- Indigenous environmental resource management
- Community activism
- Secondary or post-secondary teaching
- Indigenous museology and art
- Law, human rights, and justice
- Indigenous community consultant
- Cultural resource management in Indigenous communities
- Public administration, civil service, and governance
- Media
“As a student, you learn about Indigenous ways of being and knowing, and there is so much beauty in applying that in your life. I found a real sense of community in Indigenous Studies. The knowledge Indigenous people hold is powerful, as a student you will learn so much, even about yourself. It raises your level of consciousness. What you learn in Indigenous Studies can open doors, and we need Indigenous peoples embedded in all systems to make change.”
