Students should leave this course with both added content and analytical abilities.  They will have gained knowledge in the definition and laws surrounding Indigenous populations in a global context.  As well, they will gain a deeper understanding of each of the populations studied in the case study.  Students will also work their critical thinking skills in analyzing the challenges that exist for different populations and assessing successes and failures at addressing these challenges regionally and globally.  

As a human rights attorney for the United Nations I have worked on issues dealing with Indigenous populations around the globe.  I have first hand knowledge of much of the material which will be taught.  As well, I have been teaching on the topic of human rights generally and Indigenous populations at the university level for many years.  In the past three years I have successfully moved those topics into a younger pedagogy and have been teaching at the middle and high school level on topics such as the Holocaust, genocide, refugees and human rights.    

Homework Offered
Most weeks will include readings and/or audio visual materials with discussion questions to prepare prior to class. Expect between one to two hours per week. A final project to present during the last week of class will also be assigned. 
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
If requested, grades and assessments are available.  All assignments must be completed in order to receive grade or assessment. 
Grades Offered
If requested, grades and assessments are available.  All assignments must be completed in order to receive grade or assessment. 

The source material for this course will be vast and varied.  Primary source material is prioritized and will include such things as UN Conventions, original treaties, original national laws, the writings of Indigenous leaders, first hand accounts of victims of atrocities etc. Secondary source materials may also be pulled from, but will not be relied upon in the same manner as the primary sources.  Secondary sources include for example, Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools, a resource curriculum to walk students through an examination of the devastating legacy of Indian Residential Schools in Canada.  Other examples of materials include those resourced from the Norwegian Folk Museum's Sami curated collection will be used to study the experiences of Sami families forced to relocate as well as today's fight against environmental degradation of the Sami lands, or digital materials from Native Knowledge 360 entitled American Indian Removal: What Does It Mean To Remove a People, housed at the National Museum of the American Indian.