Fyre Jean Graveline, Professor, and Program Chair 

Margaret Anderson, Professor

Antonia Mills, Professor

Margo Greenwood, Assistant Professor 

Ross Hoffman, Assistant Professor 

Michele A. Sam, Assistant Professor

Karyn Sharp, Lecturer 

Wendy Aasen, Adjunct Professor

Jo-Anne Fiske, Adjunct Professor 

Heather Harris, Adjunct Professor

Paul Michel, Adjunct Professor

Deanna Nyce, Adjunct Professor 

 

Website: http://www.unbc.ca/firstnations

The UNBC MA program in First Nations Studies establishes the points of view of First Nations people and communities as the starting point for description and analysis, and contextualizes issues from this perspective. Courses will orient students to question underlying assumptions of everyday study. A special emphasis will be placed on creating opportunities for students to learn from and about the First Nations of the north, including courses taught in First Nations communities, internships, and community-based research projects. Each student's program will culminate in completion of either a thesis or major project.

In addition to the high priority on the First Nations of northern British Columbia, offerings will include topics relevant to the First Nations of Canada and indigenous peoples of the world. The two specific streams of study within the program are First Nations Issues and Approaches, emphasizing the development of theory and method for the understanding of contemporary issues, and Northern Nations, which will facilitate students who aim to develop skills, knowledge, and experience in the study of the languages and cultures of northern British Columbia. Links to other graduate programs at UNBC will enrich the options for interdisciplinary work in areas such as Women's Studies, History, Environmental Studies, and Geography, etc.

 

Application deadlines are found in this calendar under "Semester Dates" or online at: www.unbc.ca/calendar/graduate, also under "Semester Dates." The First Nations Studies MA Program accepts students for the September and January Semesters.

For additional information about graduate admissions or to download application materials, go to the Graduate Programs website at www.unbc.ca/graduateprograms.

 

Requirements

The 30 credit hours that make up the MA in First Nations Studies will normally be completed within 30 months of entry into the program. The first year is normally devoted to course work and the second year dedicated to preparing a thesis or project. All students must take FNST 600-3 (Foundations of First Nations Studies), FNST 602-3 (The Practice of Research), and FNST 790-3 (Internship), one elective course in the student's chosen stream, and one elective course from the University's Graduate Academic Calendar. Students must also register in either the thesis (FNST 799-15) or project (FNST 797-12). The project path requires students to take an additional course from either the First Nations Issues and Approaches stream or from the Northern Nations stream.

Internships allow the students to gain first-hand experience with communities. A student with experience equivalent to an internship may request that the internship requirement be waived by the Program Chair, and substitute an additional elective course. Normally, internships are arranged on an individual basis. The student, in consultation with a host community or organization, must write a proposal. Decisions on the appropriateness of the internship are made by the First Nations Studies program, based on the merits of the proposal, the nature of the experiential component, and the value of the internship to the host and to the student. In particular, the proposal must indicate the student is under the supervision of the community, in order for the student to acquire direct training in community dynamics. Students are expected to keep a record of the internship, and write a report for the First Nations Studies program that places the experiential component of the internship into the context of the student's academic training. The host also provides the First Nations Studies program with an independent evaluation of the internship and of the student's performance. A student may be permitted to substitute a second internship for the open elective course.

Students are expected to demonstrate a general knowledge of the aboriginal peoples of Canada comparable in scope and depth to the material covered in FNST 100-3 (The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada). Students lacking such knowledge on entering the program will be required to make up the deficiency through suitable course work, normally during their first semester in the MA program.
Such course work will not count toward the course requirements for the program.

Language Requirement

No additional language requirements are required. However, students should be aware that command of one or more languages other than English may be necessary in order to pursue particular types of research.