Indigenous Perspectives and Realities

Quick Info
(3833.04)  Seminar
Instructor(s)
Adjunct Professor L. Gansworth
Fall
4 credit(s)  3 hour(s);
Presentation
This is an experiential learning course. Students are expected to participate in all aspects of the course, including lectures, class discussions, land-based and experiential learning activities.

Course delivery includes lectures, videos, podcasts, storywork, review of case law, and news stories drawn from real world examples. Students are required to complete assigned experiential activities on their own, wherever they are located.

Note: This course satisfies the Indigenous and Aboriginal Law Requirement.
Upper Year Research & Writing Requirement
Yes
Praxicum
Yes

This course will introduce students to fundamentals of knowledge systems that inform Indigenous understandings of law, justice, governance, and treaties.  It is intended to provide students with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lived experience of Indigenous peoples in Canada.   This course is offered as an experiential education opportunity that will assist students in gaining familiarity with Indigenous voices and priorities, in a variety of contexts, with the diversity of Indigenous worldviews, ontologies and epistemologies that frame Indigenous realities. The course will examine major political, educational, economic, legal, and cultural issues facing Indigenous peoples and communities in Canada in both present-day and historical contexts.  Course material will be drawn from processes such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Ipperwash Inquiry, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Murdered Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry; as well as other materials that provide insights into the contemporary realities of Indigenous peoples.  
As the main goal of the course is for students to demonstrate a sound appreciation for the perspectives and realities of Indigenous peoples, students will learn directly from Indigenous peoples through guest speakers and assigned multi-media.  Students will be required to participate in land-based and experiential activities outside of the law school; with potential options for students to fulfill these requirements remotely. The course will be framed around the concept of place’ (e.g., urban Toronto) and explore relationships to place from a variety of experiential perspectives (e.g., Indigenous, ally, settler Canadian, relation, newcomer).