[sinthusized]

The course was an introduction to the contemporary issues of indigenous peoples in Canada. We covered topics such as land claims, self-determination/governance, women, education, justice systems and cultural revitalization. I thought this was a very interesting course as much of the topics discussed were previously unknown to me (and perhaps to the average Canadian). One person in my class said that everyone should take an indigenous studies course at some point and I would agree and I would also recommend this course to be that one. In general, I don't think anyone disliked this course and my peers who I spoke with had positive reviews of this course. The instructor is Hayden King and he is very engaging (no monotone lectures) and has interesting discussions in class. The marking was also fair.

Course Breakdown:
Midterm – 20%
Land Claim Simulation OR Essay – 15%
Research Essay – 25%
Participation – 10%
Final – 30%

The midterm was very straight forward and you would do well so long as you attended the lectures. The land claim simulation was a very fun experience. Basically, the class was organized into groups representing different people involved in a land claim [Traditional and Elected councils, different community members (native and non-native community members), Canada, Ontario and media] and this was sort of a role play assignment in a land claim negotiation. If you preferred not to participate in the land claim simulation, you could opt to write an essay on a given topic (this year I believe it was Vine Deloria) though I recommend participating in the simulation because it’s a) more fun than writing an essay, b) less work than writing an essay… just some research, c) get to know people in your groups better and d) helps you understand the land claims process better which is on the exam. The research essay was marked pretty liberally in my opinion. The exam was a bit more challenging than the midterm simply because it was cumulative and there were some questions from readings but those were minimal.

The workload was very manageable in this class. I don't think readings were completely necessary though I think it's important to attend all or most lectures for this class.

hi. i m gonna take this course as an elective next sem. I just want to hear more about this course.
I would like to see the course outline for see this, cause i cant seem to find one. oh and is there just one research essay or several of them?

and also how is participation marked?

what is the coursewear required for this class? It hasnt shown up on my avenue to learn yet and I need to know ASAP