Decolonize and Indigenize your course

While some conversations may center on Indigenization of the university setting, it is worthwhile to recognize that significant work remains to be done in terms of decolonizing higher education (Smith, 2016). The following resources explore decolonization and Indigenization in the university context, including what concrete steps one can take to decolonize and Indigenize individual courses and the curriculum writ large.  

• Little Pine First Nation: 100 ways to Indigenize and decolonize academic programs and courses, by Shauneen Pete (list, 8 pages)
  This list may be a helpful starting point for those who wish to act but are unsure where to begin. It is organized for dean and instructor audiences. While some actions are particular to the University of Regina context, many of them are transferable to McGill or have local equivalent actions.

• Decolonizing our practice – Indigenizing our teaching, by Shauneen Pete (Little Pine First Nation), Bettina Schneider, and Kathleen O’Reilly (article, 13 pages)
  This article is framed as a conversation around the topics of what decolonizing and Indigenizing the authors’ teaching looks like from their varied backgrounds and within their particular contexts in post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan.

• Indigenizing education, by Paul Ongtooguk (Inupiaq) (book chapter, 22 pages)
  Through a focus on the experiences of Indigenous students in Alaska, this chapter explains the value of Indigenous perspectives in higher education. It expresses the importance of integrating Indigenous perspectives across disciplines and across all aspects of the university experience.

• Indigenizing the academy, by Moira MacDonald (article)
  This article introduces Indigenization in the university setting and describes changes to the curriculum at several Canadian higher education institutions. Concrete strategies for Indigenization are shared.

• Make space for Indigeneity: Decolonizing education, by Tiffany Smith (article, 11 pages)
  This journal article discusses the Eurocentric model of current Canadian educational systems. It draws attention to resources and actions that instructors can take to decolonize and Indigenize their courses.

• Teachers and instructors – pulling together: A guide for Indigenization of post-secondary institutions, by Bruce Allan (Stellat'en First Nation), Amy Perreault (Red River Métis), John Chenoweth (Okanagan Nation), Dianne Biin (Tsilhqot'in Nation), Sharon Hobenshield (Wilp Malii, Gitxsan First Nation), Todd Ormiston (Northern Tutchone / Tlingit), Shirley Anne Hardman (Xwelmexw (Sto:lo)), Louise Lacerte (Lake Babine Nation), Lucas Wright, and Justin Wilson (Haíɫzaqv) (guide, 94 pages)
  This guide aims to support instructors in British Columbia in fostering changes to their courses and their institutions through Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. It is organized in four sections: (1) inform: locating self and practice; (2) include: exploring Indigenous worldviews and pedagogies; (3) integrate: ethical approach and relational protocols; and (4) infuse: building an Indigenized practice. Complementary guides for curriculum developers and leaders and administrators are available.

• Reconciliation through Indigenous education course (course)
  This free 6-week course offered by UBC via EdX offers a wealth of written and multimedia resources. The course aims to help participants “envision how Indigenous histories, perspectives, worldviews, and approaches to learning can be made part of the work we do in classrooms, organizations, communities, and our everyday experiences in ways that are thoughtful and respectful” (EdX). Verify dates as the course is offered on a sessional basis.

• Reshaping the university: Responsibilities, Indigenous epistemes, and the logic of the gift, by Rauna Kuokkanen (book, 222 pages)
  This book discusses the place and reproduction of colonial perspectives in the university setting and can provide instructors with a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures, their benefits in education, and ways to move forward.

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action (report, 20 pages)
  The Calls to Action in this report intend to help Canadian communities address the legacy of Residential Schools and to come to a place of reconciliation and inclusion. This report outlines these actions and discusses education, health, and justice, among other subjects.
  Également disponible en français : Commission de vérité et réconciliation du Canada : appels à l’action

• What does an Indigenous university look like?, by Niigaanwewidam (James) Sinclair (video, 18 minutes)
  This TEDx presentation shares how information is published and disseminated in higher education settings, and potential changes that can be made to integrate Indigenous knowledge, with examples from Indigenous programming at the University of Manitoba.

• What is “Indigenizing the curriculum?” Interview with Dr. Jo-ann Archibald (Stol:lo Nation) (video, 8 minutes)
  In this video, Dr. Jo-ann Archibald (former Associate Dean for Indigenous Education at the University of British Columbia) discusses colonization in education, the place of Indigenous knowledge in academia, and the process of Indigenization.

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