POLS*3340 - Indigenous Politics in Canada

Course Description

This survey course provides an overview of the relationship between the Canadian state and Indigenous peoples by analyzing key historical and contemporary legal and political developments in this evolving relationship. Exploring the history of treaties, colonialism, dispossession and assimilation helps explain the current transition to demands for Indigenous self-governance, land claims and treaty negotiations. The course will also address pressing contemporary socio-political issues, like Indigenous peoples in extractive industries, political mobilization in a global context, and the resurgence movement. The central objective for the course will be to analyze and evaluate the interplay between history, political mobilization, and law in shaping Indigenous-state relations by engaging respectfully with Indigenous and Canadian political thought and worldviews.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be able to: 

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical evolution of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian state 
2. Analyze the different existing and proposed models of Indigenous relations with the Canadian state
3. Engage respectfully with Indigenous political thought and worldviews. 
4. Critically appraise contemporary socio-political issues, such as Indigenous peoples in extractive industries, Indigenous political mobilization in a global context, and the Indigenous resurgence movement.  
5. Develop capacity for critical reflection and openness to diverse forms of knowledge, evidence and data.

Assessment

Assessment	Item
Online Quizzes	15%
Critical Reflection Paper	15%
Paper Proposal	20%
Final Research Paper	30%
Final Exam	20%
Total	100%

 

Applies Towards the Following Certificates