The Combined B.A. Honour’s in Indigenous Studies, which builds on Carleton’s existing strengths in this area, will engage students with aspects of Indigenous peoples’ ways of knowing and living in the world that include, among other things, ecological epistemologies, histories, cultural practices and traditions, languages, diplomacies, politics, and community dynamics. It will expose both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to the historical and contemporary experience of Indigenous peoples in North America and globally. It will also train students in cross-cultural communication with an aim towards building bridges between communities and will embody principles of Indigenous pedagogy. The program will be innovative in that it will include a practicum and community-engagement capstone course animated by the Mamiwininmowin (Algonquin language) concept of aditawazi nisoditadiwin, or walking in two worlds. It will also set itself apart from Indigenous Studies programs in other Ontario universities insofar as it will be thoroughly interdisciplinary, encompassing a wide range of courses designed specifically for Indigenous Studies. The program will also have the distinctive advantage of being located in the nation’s capital.

The program will be structured around four main thematic areas or suites of courses centered on: 1) Indigenous Peoplehood Studies; 2) Indigenous ways of knowing and epistemologies; 3) The history of Indigenous-Settler relations and colonization; and 4) Indigenous recovery, vitalization, and reclamation and decolonization. It will be comprised of a total of 20.0 credits, 7.0 of which will be in Indigenous Studies, including 4.5 core credits distributed over the four years of the program and 2.5 credits of elective courses. It will culminate in a fourth-year capstone course entitled “Indigeneity and the City.” The program will be housed in the School of Canadian Studies. It will have a Program Coordinator and a Committee of Management that will include Elders, faculty members, community members, administrative professionals and students from across the university. Day-to-day administration will be conducted by the School’s regular staff. It is important for staff members to be versed in the specific needs of Indigenous students. Therefore, the School will develop a specialized training program to ensure staff can assist Indigenous students in ways that are culturally appropriate.