First Landbased Education Field Course at McGill
We are very excited to announce thatÌýGabrielle Iakotennikonhrare Doreen, our faculty lecturer, will be leading McGill first ever landbased education field course this summer. Landbased education is rooted in the Indigenous belief that the land is our first teacher and by observing, listening, experiencing, and valuing all the earth offers us is a way for those who are present in that experience to learn what is necessary to sustain our lives (learn more about landbased educationÌý). Therefore, courses that use a landbased pedagogy always vary based on the land and person who is teaching it, in this case the course focuses on the Haudensaunee-Kanien'kehá:ka worldview. Iakotennikonhrare is completing her masters in landbased education from the University of Saskatchewan, one of the primary leaders of bringing landbased education into the academy. Her class will be one of the first to focus on the worldview of theÌýRotinonhsón:nih, the Ohé:ten Karihwatéhkwen (Thanksgiving Address) and concepts of Skén:nen (peace), Kasastenshera (strength), and Kanikonhri:io (a good-mind).Ìý
This course is criticalÌýto our program's aim of engaging ourÌýstudentsÌýwith Indigenous studies as a stand-alone field by introducing and contending with Indigenous knowledge systems and societies from within, in ways that promote the resurgence of these systems.ÌýPart of this course's importance is that itÌýplacesÌýan emphasis on distinct methodologies and expectations of Indigenous studies.
This class will be focused on getting outside (as long as the weather cooperates):Ìýgetting out on to the water,Ìýdoing a foraging food tour, trips to Kahnawake and Kanesatake, and an open air classroom on Mont Royal.Ìý
INDG200 is a prerequisite, though it can be substituted for an other INDG course or other courses that prove a sufficient engagement with Indigenous issue.
Registration is open on Minerva! Register today!
The course runs from June 5th until July 5th. New students are accepted until June 12th.
For more information please email indigenous.studies [at] mcgill.ca.
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