Aboriginal Studies

Director

Lorenzo Cherubini

General Information

Administrative Co-ordinator

Janie Hodson

905-688-5550, extension 3971

Captain John DeCew 104

The Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education offers an opportunity to study Aboriginal languages, culture and society from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, through courses in Aboriginal Studies and cross-listed courses from co-operating faculty in other departments: Dramatic Arts and Sociology.

The Centre offers a program leading to a Certificate in Aboriginal Language. The program provides an in-depth study of an Aboriginal language and culture from beginner to advanced level.

The Centre also offers the Gidayaamin Aboriginal Women's Certificate Program, designed to be a first year certificate that allows students to transition into an undergraduate degree program of their choice. Embedded in the program design is a holistic system of support that will assist Aboriginal women in meeting their full academic potential in balance with cultural traditions and spirituality.

Aboriginal Studies courses may be taken for credit as electives in any degree program or as a minor within their degree program.

Certificate Program

Certificate in Aboriginal Language

The Certificate is awarded upon completion of the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:

	ABST 1F01, 2F01 and 3F01
	two credits from ABST 2F91, 2F97, 4F01

Gidayaamin Aboriginal Women's Certificate

The Certificate is awarded upon completion of the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:

ABST 1F90, 1F94, 1P22, 1P50, 1P51, 2F14 and 2P17

Minor in Aboriginal Studies

Students in other disciplines can obtain a Minor in Aboriginal Studies within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:

	Two ABST credits numbered 1(alpha)00 or above
	two ABST credits numbered 2(alpha)00 or above

Description of Courses

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course

* Indicates primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

ABST 1F01

Introduction to Mohawk

Common sentence forms and vocabulary taught by audio-lingual methods. Listening, reading and writing of words and language recorded by Mohawk speakers. Extended dialogues to increase fluency in speech and reading.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Note: one-third of class time is devoted to the study of Mohawk culture.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ABST 1P01 and 1P02.

ABST 1F20

Introduction to Algonkian Languages

Common sentence forms and vocabulary taught by audio-lingual methods. Listening, reading and writing of stories recorded by native speakers. Extended dialogues and storytelling to increase fluency in speech and reading.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 1F90

Introduction to Aboriginal Studies

Native cultures in contemporary North America. Diverse and common features of different nations; effects of geography, politics, history and language use.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 1F94

The Traditional Aboriginal Family

The traditional Aboriginal family from pre-contact to the contemporary. Topics include commonalities among cultures, dynamics of family change and development, traditional family planning and parenting as well as individual, family and community relationships and roles.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to ABWC certificate students until date specified in Registration guide.

ABST 1P03

Introduction to Cayuga I

Common sentence forms and vocabulary taught by audio-lingual methods. Listening, reading and writing of stories recorded by native speakers are used. Materials are chosen for cultural and linguistic content. About one-third of class time is devoted to study of the Iroquois culture.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

ABST 1P04

Introduction to Cayuga II

Extended dialogues and storytelling to increase fluency in speech and reading. Transcription of and response to recorded language samples to extend writing in the Cayuga language.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 1P03.

ABST 1P22

Technology in Aboriginal Community

Topics include representation of information, Microsoft applications, internet searching and library database instruction.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to ABWC certificate students until date specified in Registration guide.

ABST 1P31

Introduction to Michif Language I

Common sentence forms and vocabulary taught by audio-lingual methods. Listening, reading and writing of stories recorded by native speakers including an introduction to the Métis culture.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 1P32

Introduction to Michif Language II

Extended dialogues and storytelling to increase fluency in speech and reading. Transcription of, and response to, recorded language samples to extend writing in the Michif language.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 1P31 or permission of the instructor.

ABST 1P50

Aboriginal Spirituality I

Comparative survey of Aboriginal spiritual traditions and the influence on contemporary lifestyle and thought of peoples residing in Canada and the United States.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 1P51

Aboriginal Spirituality II

Study of the similarities and differences in Iroquois and Anishinabe spiritual tradition and belief systems.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 1P50 or permission of the instructor.

ABST 1P90

Pre-Confederation Aboriginal History

Impact of colonialism on Aboriginal peoples from contact to Confederation. Social, economic, and cultural impact on various First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples of Canada.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 1P91

Post-Confederation Aboriginal History

Impact of colonialism on Aboriginal peoples from Confederation to present day. Social, economic, and cultural impact on various First Nation, Metis and Inuit peoples of Canada.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2F01

Intermediate Mohawk

Development of communication abilities and acquisition of the punctual, indefinite and perfect verb forms; transitive pronouns, noun incorporation and locatives. Extension of literacy and oral skills through taped and written traditional stories.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 1P02.

ABST 2F14

Decolonizing Aboriginal Women's Identities

Aboriginal women's identities from social, cultural and political perspectives emphasizing culture, tradition and spirituality.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to ABWC certificate students until date specified in Registration guide.

ABST 2F20

Intermediate Algonkian Languages

Development of communication abilities and acquisition of the punctual, indefinite and perfect verb forms; transitive pronouns, noun incorporation and locatives. Extension of literacy and oral skills through taped and written traditional stories.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 1F20 or permission of the instructor.

ABST 2F40

Indigenous Creative Arts

Historical and contemporary Indigenous creative expression from various traditions and cultures.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2F70

Sharing Our Stories as an Approach to History

The traditional Anishnawbeg "Story of the Seven Fires" forms as organizational framework for the study of community histories of the Nishnawbe Aski territory.

Lectures/seminar, 6 hours per week.

Restriction: open to BEd-Primary/Junior (Aboriginal) majors until date specified in Registration guide.

ABST 2F80

Introduction to Aboriginal Education in Canada

Overview of First Nation, Metis and Inuit education in Canada examining various Aboriginal traditions, philosophies and culturally-based models. Purpose of education from both historical and contemporary Indigenous perspectives. Indigenous perspectives on the current state and future direction of teaching and research.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2F90

Studies in Aboriginal History I

History of a selected Aboriginal society emphasizing the historical perceptions, developments and interpretations of that society.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2F91

Studies in Hodonohsonni History (in Mohawk)

History of a selected Hodinohsonni society emphasizing the historical perceptions, developments and interpretations of that society.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Note: this course is taught in Mohawk.

ABST 2F92

Studies in Aboriginal History II

Independent study in an area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.

ABST 2F96

Studies in Aboriginal Culture I

Culture of a selected Aboriginal society emphasizing the cultural perceptions, developments and interpretations of that society.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2F97

Studies in Hodinohsonni Culture (in Mohawk)

Culture of a selected Hodinohsonni society emphasizing the cultural perceptions, developments and interpretations of that society.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Note: this course is taught in Mohawk.

ABST 2F98

Studies in Aboriginal Culture II

Independent study in an area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.

ABST 2M90-2M95

Studies in Aboriginal History

Variable topics course that surveys the history of a selected Aboriginal society emphasizing the historical perceptions, developments and interpretations of that society.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2M96-2M99

Studies in Aboriginal Culture

Variable topics course that surveys the culture of a selected Aboriginal society emphasizing the cultural perceptions, developments and interpretations of that society.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

ABST 2P03

Intermediate Cayuga I

Application of literacy skills and extension of vocabulary and listening skills by reading taped stories and legends and responding orally to audio-taped exercises and in writing to printed exercises.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 1P04.

ABST 2P04

Intermediate Cayuga II

Development of communication abilities and acquisition of the grammatical forms of future, aorist, indefinite and perfect tenses; transitive pronouns, noun incorporation and locatives.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 2P03.

ABST 2P17

Reclaiming Aboriginal Women's Literary Traditions

Aboriginal women's literature and the stories embedded within the literature as they apply to Aboriginal women's histories. Emphasis on decolonizing, reclaiming and strategies of resistance through writing.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to ABWC students until date specified in Registration guide.

#ABST 2P96

Aboriginal Theatre

(also offered as DART 2P96)

Theatrical, dramatic and performative representation of Aboriginal peoples in the Canadian experience.

Prerequisite(s): DART 1F93 or permission of the instructor.

ABST 3F01

Advanced Mohawk

Focus on the Great Law and the Code of Handsome Lake. Study of the elevated language and contemporary significance of these works from a Mohawk perspective.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 2F01.

ABST 3F03

Advanced Cayuga

Focus on the Great Law and the Code of Handsome Lake. Study of the elevated language and contemporary significance of these works from a Cayuga perspective.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 2P04.

ABST 3P47

Aboriginal Women’s Literature: Activism and Empowerment

Stories embedded within the literature as they apply to contemporary settings. Exploration of the power of Aboriginal women's writing as a political and educational tool.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

#ABST 3P76

Indigenous Peoples in North America

(also offered as SOCI 3P76 and WGST 3P76)

Contemporary struggles for cultural survival, land, self-determination and rights in the context of colonialism in North America. Diversity of Indigenous peoples, including their internal debates and divides.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to SOCI (single or combined), WGST (single or combined), WISE (single or combined) majors, ABST, SOCI, WGST and WISE minors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 7.0 overall credits or 2.0 SOCI credits above SOCI 1F90.

Prerequisite(s): one of one ABST credit, SOCI 1F90, WGST (WISE) 1F90, 2P00 or permission of the Department of Sociology Administrator.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ABST (SOCI) 3P46.

ABST 3P80

Aboriginal Mothering and Motherhood: Historical and Contemporary Realities

Exploring Aboriginal ideologies of mothering and motherhood from a variety of perspectives. Historical mothering practices and family structures highlighting unique roles of Aboriginal women in many communities. Contemporary understandings of Indigenous ideologies of motherhood.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

#ABST 3P86

Indigenous Peoples in Global Perspective

(also offered as SOCI 3P86 and WGST 3P86)

Contemporary debates in global Indigenous movements, including the legacy of colonization, land dispossession, cultural appropriation and new developments in the areas of environmental justice, cultural revival and political sovereignty.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to SOCI (single or combined), WGST (single or combined), WISE (single or combined) majors, ABST, SOCI, WGST and WISE minors until the date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 7.0 overall credits or 2.0 SOCI credits above SOCI 1F90.

Prerequisite(s): one of one ABST credit, SOCI 1F90, WGST (WISE) 1F90, 2P00 or permission of the Department of Sociology Administrator.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ABST (SOCI) 3P46.

ABST 4F01

The Iroquois Spirit

Three main cultural traditions of contemporary and traditional Iroquois: the Teharonhyawkoh - The Myth of the Earth Grasper (an extensive treatise on Iroquoian Cosmology), the Kaya-nere'kowa -Constitution of the Great Law and the Kariwiyo - the Code of Handsome Lake.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): ABST 3F01 or 3F03.

Note: this course will be conducted partially in the Mohawk language and utilize guest speakers who are recognized experts on the Iroquoian tradition.

#ABST 4P76

Indigenous Social and Political Thought

(also offered as SOCI 4P76 and WGST 4P76)

History and contemporary literatures on Indigenous epistemologies, the political philosophy of movements for decolonization, environmental sustainability, and Indigenous writing on gendered justice and cultural resurgence in a globalizing world emphasizing writings by Indigenous scholars.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to SOCI (single or combined), WGST (single or combined) and WISE (single or combined) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have approval to year 4 (honours).

Prerequisite(s): one of one ABST credit, two SOCI credits, two WGST (WISE) credits or permission of the Department of Sociology Administrator.