C/O Kevin Patrick Robbins

McMaster’s Indigenous studies courses offer historical and contemporary insight into Indigenous affairs

Founded in 1992, the Indigenous studies program at McMaster University offers a variety of courses related to Indigenous affairs. The program website discusses their unique approach to teaching, which emphasizes the importance of community knowledge.

“This community-driven approach encourages students from various cultural backgrounds to learn about the history and lives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples from an Indigenous perspective,” the website stated.

Adrienne Xavier, Director of the Indigenous studies program, discussed the method of teaching that the program uses and how important it is for developing an understanding of Indigenous affairs.

“Ultimately, it's not any one particular class for me. It's the approach that our faculty have, which is giving [students] unique perspectives and ideas around what is truly possible and what Indigenous ways of knowing look like,” said Xavier.

According to Xavier, all of the classes are taught with this community-focused approach in mind, and they all provide valuable learning experiences. However, Xavier highlighted a few specific courses that are especially significant.

One of the courses that Xavier highlighted was INDIG ST 1AA3, introduction to contemporary Indigenous studies.

The course description states that students will explore the relationship between Indigenous peoples and mainstream society in the 20th century. Specifically, the course will examine governmental policy, land claims, economic development and self-determination.

Xavier noted that this course is valuable for giving students foundational knowledge about Indigenous affairs and introducing them to the conversation.

“It's really about understanding that there are a lot of different ways for students to engage in the knowledge of what's going on with Indigenous communities today,” said Xavier. 

Xavier further emphasized the importance of students educating themselves regarding Indigenous history and issues.  

“I think that everybody should have some base of knowledge on Indigenous issues, Indigenous history [and] Indigenous contemporary concerns,” explained Xavier.

Xavier said that, although no program is perfect, she believes the Indigenous studies program has been effective at reaching students and helping them to better understand Indigenous history and contemporary affairs.

“No school has it done perfectly right. No instructor does everything exactly the way that every student needs. Every student learns a little differently [and] every instructor teaches a little differently,” said Xavier.

However, Xavier said the Indigenous studies program has been able to connect students to the faculty, to each other and to the content. Xavier expressed hope that even more students will seek out Indigenous studies courses in the future.

“I will urge students to always be looking at Indigenous studies for different new courses [and] for what's being offered each year because we don't always have the faculty to offer everything every year,” Xavier said.

As settlers on Indigenous lands, it is crucial that students acknowledge their use of the land and educate themselves regarding Indigenous culture. At McMaster, taking an Indigenous studies course is one way to do so.  

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When I was in first year, I hated Welcome Week.

I’m a naturally small and quiet person who gets easily lost in crowds, so the tradition of thousands of students swarming small fields and screaming at each other is a surefire way to erase me from any and all social activities going on at the same time.

I didn’t get along with the reps in my faculty, was generally neglected by the off-campus reps that were supposed to show me around, and after the week was finished, I could safely say that I made no new friends. My Welcome Week story is not an uncommon one, and I’ve finally pinpointed why: Welcome Week Rep Fatigue Syndrome.

WWRFS is a problem that has hounded our student body for years now, and it’s time we did something to stop it.

Contrary to my horrible Welcome Week experience, come the spring of first year, I still decided to apply, and consequently become, a faculty representative for the next two years of my undergrad. And it was during that fall of 2013 that I experienced WWRFS for the first time.

Representing the faculty of Humanities, I was a “Hummer” (a name my dear former faculty should look into changing for solely innuendo reasons) and I was ready to have a great Welcome Week this time around. But shortly into it, I grew tired. At the time, Welcome Week occurred during regular class schedules, my part-time job at The Sil had just started, and our faculty planners and reps were in the middle of a melodramatic and unnecessary power trip. I was sick and tired, but I put on a smile for first years and tried my best to have a great time.

A few of my housemates were also repping that year for residences and the Society of Off-Campus Students. They had it worse. Even though they enjoyed helping first years, waking up and going to sleep at ungodly hours all while trying to keep up with schoolwork and work-work, their bodies were only allowing them to do so much to get the people going.

Over the course of the week, there were reps around me coughing up a tasty mélange of bodily fluids from the amount of screaming and yelling, and those who weren’t hit with this plague were starting to snap at each other and first years from a lack of sleep and exhaustion.

By closing ceremonies, everyone seemed to have come down with a combination of strep throat and possibly SARS, and we were all excited to hibernate over the weekend before our next round of classes started.

I know way too many people who had comparably bad first-year Welcome Week experiences, and it’s because you can’t expect a group of exhausted over-worked students to put on a week-long spectacle without a few people suffering from the side effects — and more often than not, those people are first years.

With applications for Welcome Week representatives currently circulating across social media, the emphasis seems to be on “first years first,” but we can’t forget to also throw the needs of reps somewhere in there. Welcome Week representatives are not paid to work 12+ hour days, so the least they should get is a relatively healthy experience. Whether this means bringing on board more students to lighten the loads of each rep, or reassessing the number of events that take place during the week, our university and students union should strive to make this an event that all parties can enjoy. First years should be first. But if reps are neglecting their health, no one is going to feel like they’re coming in first.

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