Margaret Anderson, Professor Emerita
Ross Hoffman, Professor Emeritus
Antonia Mills, Professor Emerita
Tina Fraser, Adjunct Professor and Acting Chair
Margo Greenwood, Professor
Gary Wilson, Professor
Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville, Associate Professor
Rheanna Robinson, Associate Professor
Daniel Sims, Associate Professor
Tara Joly, Assistant Professor
Jessie King, Assistant Professor
Migue’l Dangeli, Adjunct Professor
Earl Henderson, Adjunct Professor
Travis Holyk, Adjunct Professor
Deanna Nyce, Adjunct Professor
Tannis Reynolds, Lecturer
Website: www.unbc.ca/first-nations-studies
First Nations Studies takes 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 in First Nations Studies will re-orient students to question the underlying assumptions of everyday understanding and will develop clarity in thought and presentation critical to advanced study.
First Nations Studies is a valuable part of any good undergraduate education in the contemporary world; it is an appropriate undergraduate major for students aspiring to careers in education, business, public administration, law, communications, cultural property management, social services, health care delivery and administration, and many other fields. With an undergraduate major in First Nations Studies students may apply for admission to graduate programs in several academic disciplines, and to many professional programs. Students intending to apply for graduate or professional programs should ensure that their programs include all required prerequisites.
Major in First Nations Studies (BA)
Joint Major in Anthropology and First Nations Studies (BA)
Joint Major in First Nations Studies and Women's Studies (BA)
Minor in First Nations Studies
Minor in Indigenous Ecological Knowledge
Major in First Nations Studies
A major in First Nations Studies requires students to take 54 credit hours of First Nations Studies, at least 24 credit hours of which must be upper-division courses. Those courses from the offerings of other programs with content focused on First Nations are designated as approved ancillary courses for a major in First Nations Studies, and may be included among the 54 credit hours required for a major. After the lower-division requirements have been met, all students majoring in First Nations Studies must take FNST 300-3 (Research Methods in First Nations Studies), and FNST 440-(3-6) (Internship in First Nations Studies) plus 18 credit hours of 300- or 400-level First Nations Studies courses or approved ancillary courses for the major in First Nations Studies. This structure permits each student to design a program emphasizing various aspects of First Nations Studies such as contemporary political issues, languages and cultures, etc.
The minimum requirement for completion of a Bachelor of Arts with a major in First Nations Studies is 120 credit hours.
Program Requirements
Lower-Division Requirements
100 and 200 Level
| The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada | |
| Perspectives in First Nations Studies |
One of the following culture or language courses:
| A First Nations Language: Level 1 | |
| A First Nations Language: Level 2 | |
| Dakelh / Carrier Language: Level 1 | |
| Dakelh / Carrier Language: Level 2 | |
| Haisla Language (X̄a'islak̓ala): Level 1 | |
| Haisla Language (X̄a'islak̓ala): Level 2 | |
| Ts'msyen Language (Sm'algyax): Level 1 | |
| Ts'msyen Language (Sm'algyax): Level 2 | |
| Nisga'a Language: Level 1 | |
| Nisga'a Language: Level 2 | |
| A First Nations Culture: Level 1 | |
| A First Nations Culture: Level 2 | |
| Dakelh / Carrier Culture: Level 1 | |
| Nisga'a Culture: Level 1 | |
| Nisga'a Culture: Level 2 |
Upper-Division Requirements
300 Level
| Research Methods in First Nations Studies |
400 Level
| Internship in First Nations Studies |
Eighteen credit hours of 300- or 400- level First Nations Studies courses or approved ancillary courses for the major in First Nations Studies.
Subject Requirement
Twenty-one credit hours of First Nations Studies or approved ancillary courses at any level.
Electives and Academic Breadth
Upper-division electives to meet ÂÜÀòÉäÇø residency requirement. Electives at any level in any subject to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours including any additional credit hours necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation on Academic Breadth).
Approved Ancillary Courses for a Major in First Nations Studies
This list is reviewed annually by the Department of First Nations Studies. Approved ancillary courses are those courses from other disciplines with content focused on First Nations. The following courses are included, and may be counted towards the required courses for a major in First Nations Studies.
| Ethnography in Northern British Columbia | |
| Comparative Study of Indigenous Peoples of the World | |
| British Columbia Ethnography | |
| British Columbia Archaeology | |
| Ethnobotany | |
| Indigenous Literatures in Canada and the United States | |
| Special Topics in Indigenous Literatures | |
| Indigenous Geographies of Climate Resilience | |
| Health and Chronic Disease Management | |
| Global History of indigenous People | |
| British Columbia | |
| History of Indigenous People of Canada | |
| Topics in Cultural Encounters | |
| Aboriginal Perspectives on Land and Resource Management | |
| Introduction to First Nations Health | |
| Indigenous Health and Nursing | |
| Special Topics in Nursing | |
| Russian Politics and Society | |
| Indigenous Governance and Social Policy | |
| Indigenous Wellness: Individuals, Families, and Communities | |
| Individual and Community Wellness for Indigenous Peoples | |
| Indigenous Women: Perspectives | |
| Topics in Aboriginal Women's Studies |
Joint Major in Anthropology and First Nations Studies
See Calendar entry under Anthropology
Joint Major in First Nations Studies and Women's Studies
The First Nations Studies/Women’s Studies Joint Major will equip students to understand the role of women in First Nations societies, political and social institutions, and economies. The degree ought to be particularly attractive to students who intend to pursue a career in education, business, public administration, communications, social services, and many other fields.
The minimum requirement for completion of a Bachelor of Arts with a Joint Major in First Nations and Women’s Studies is 120 credit hours.
Program Requirements
| The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada | |
| Perspectives in First Nations Studies | |
| First Nations Health and Healing | |
| Seminar in First Nations Studies | |
| / |
Indigenous Women: Perspectives |
| Topics in Aboriginal Women's Studies | |
| Introduction to Women's Studies | |
| Women and the Contemporary World |
At least 3 additional credit hours of 100-level First Nations in a culture or language.
At least 6 additional credit hours of Women's Studies at the 100 or 200 level.
At least 18 credit hours selected from the following:
| Anthropological Perspectives on Inequality | |
| Feminist Perspectives in Anthropology | |
| Women and the Economy | |
| Gender, Environment and Sustainability | |
| First Nations Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender and Power | |
| Women in Canada | |
| Topics in the History of Gender | |
| Topics in Women's History | |
| Gender and International Studies | |
| Women and Health | |
| Lesbian and Bisexual Lives | |
| An Introduction to the History of Gender | |
| Contemporary Feminist Theories | |
| Contemporary Women's Literature/ Special Topics in Contemporary Women's Literature |
|
| Selected Topics in Women's Studies |
At least 15 additional credit hours of First Nations 300 or 400 level courses.
Elective and Academic Breadth Requirement
Electives at any level in any subject sufficient to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours, including any additional credits necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation on Academic Breadth).
Minor in First Nations Studies
The minor in First Nations Studies allows students to learn about the field, and to combine a minor concentration in FNST with a major concentration in another area. Students wishing to develop a particular focus could select a set of courses, for example on aboriginal issues, aboriginal languages, and/or aboriginal cultures (Nisga’a, Métis or Dakelh / Carrier). Other combinations are possible with the guidance of the undergraduate student advisor.
A maximum of two courses (6 credit hours) used to fulfill program requirements for a major or another minor may also be used to fulfill requirements for a minor in First Nations Studies. A maximum of two courses from the list of Approved Ancillary Courses for a Major in First Nations Studies can be used to fulfill the requirements of the First Nations Studies minor.
The minor requires completion of 18 credit hours (six courses):
The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada
Three credit hours of First Nations Studies at any level.
Twelve credit hours of 300 or 400 level First Nations Studies.
Minor in Indigenous Ecological Knowledge
The minor in Indigenous Ecological Knowledge assists students to gain an understanding of the unique ways that Indigenous Peoples know and understand the world. This minor prepares students to engage First Nations in collaborative processes that include traditional ways of living and knowing, environmental philosophies, and aboriginal governance.
The minor in Indigenous Ecological Knowledge requires the completion of a minimum of 21 credit hours of study, of which 12 must be at the upper division. A maximum of two courses (6 credit hours) used to fulfil the requirements for a major, or another minor, may also be used to fulfil requirements for this minor. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they have the required prerequisites.
Required
| The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada | |
| Introduction to Traditional Ecological Knowledge | |
| Contemporary Challenges Facing Aboriginal Communities |
Four of the following:
| Art and Material Culture of BC First Nations | |
| First Nations Health and Healing | |
| First Nations Religion and Philosophy | |
| Indigenous Environmental Philosophy | |
| Law and Indigenous Peoples | |
| Indigenous Issues in International Perspective | |
| Internship in First Nations Studies | |
| Traditional Use Studies |
Updated: December 5, 2024