Course Description and Learning Objectives
Lesson One – Towards and Understanding of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Relations
Unit One: The Importance of Reflecting on History
Unit Two: A Framework for Reflecting on History: A Cycle of Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal Relations
Unit Three: Whose History Has Been Documented and Explored?
Unit Four: Is History Important and Why do we Study It?
Lesson Two – Pre-Contact – Before 1500
Unit One: A Survey of Tribal Societies and Nations and their Distribution in North America before contact, including the Arctic Inuit
Unit Two: A Review of the Distinguishing economic, political and social features of the Aboriginal People before contact
Unit Three: An Examination of selected Nations and their economic, political, and social structures: (Several nations will be selected, depending on easy access to references. They might include those listed here):
- The Inuit
- The Blackfoot
- The Mi’kmaq
- The Salish
Lesson Three – Contact: The Fur Trade, Explorers and the Military
Unit One: The Impact of the Fur Trade on First Nations –
- Why Did the Fur Trade emerge as a dominant economic activity in North America?
- Understanding the role of the First Nations in the Fur Trade and their participation
Unit Two: European Exploration of the New World
- An examination of the importance of exploration in North America
- The impact of the European presence on First Nations and their political status
- An appreciation of European dependency of First Nations
- The emergence of the Mètis – who are they?
Unit Three: The Importance of European conflicts on First Nations
- A review of European conflicts and their impacts in North America
- Understanding the strategic importance of First Nations in the balance of power among the competing European nations
- The importance of strategic alliances between First Nations and European powers
Unit Four: A Golden Age of European-First Nations relationships: 1650-1815
- Assessing the role of First Nations between 1650-1815
- Did a partnership between equals exist during this period?
- An appreciation of the efforts Europeans expended to maintain alliances
Lesson Four – Treaties, Disease, and Declining Fortunes
Unit One: An Examination of Treaties:
- Their purposes:
- For Europeans
- For FNs
- Was the treaty process understood by FNs?
Unit Two: Examining the role of Disease on FNs:
- What were the critical infectious diseases on FNs?
- Why were FNs unable to maintain their health?
- Understanding the effects of widespread disease on FNs
- An assessment of the links between treaties and the onset of diseases
Unit Three: The Loss of Strategic Roles:
- An appreciation of the dissolution of the importance of FNs as military allies
- Assessing the War of 1812 as the final gasp of FNs strategic military importance
- Understanding the impact on FNs of their lost strategic value
- The significance of reserves and FNs’ declining fortunes
Unit Four: A New Beginning – Dependency:
- An appreciation of the decline of FNs’ status
- An understanding of the role of the military and the emergence of reserve communities
Lesson Five – Reserves and the Indian Agent: Wards of the State
Unit One: The Importance of Farming and Agriculture in the New Relationship:
- what challenges faced First Nations to become farmers?
- An appreciation of the legal and political impediments to wide-spread agriculture among FNs
Unit Two: The Role of the Indian Agent
- Understanding the power and authority of the Indian Agent
- Was the Indian Agent system created as a measure to ensure marginality of FNs?
- The Indian Act and the Indian Agent – Insurmountable challenges
Unit Three: Residential Schools
- An assessment of the objectives of the Residential School program
- An appreciation of the impact of residential schools on the health and well-being of children
- Did the Indian Agent and the Indian Act enhance the introduction of residential schools?
Unit Four: The Inuit (Eastern Arctic)
- An appreciation of the emergence of permanent settlements for the Inuit
- Compare the role of the RCMP amongst the Inuit and the Indian Agent amongst FNs.
- Understanding the role of disease and residential schools among the Inuit
Unit Five: The Métis
- The Political Emergence of the Mètis
- The role of the Métis in western Canada
Lesson Six – Political Renaissance
Unit One: A Review of the 1969 White Paper:
- An Assessment of the content of the White Paper
- Understanding of its Intent and Purposes
Unit Two: First Nations and Métis Responses:
- Assess the various regional responses to the White Paper
- Manitoba
- Alberta
- Ontario
- Review the Métis response
- Identify key potential changes to First Nations if White Paper had become legislation
Unit Three: The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Berger Commission
- An Appreciation of the Pipeline project and the Berger Commission
- What did the Berger Commission offer to First Nations in the NWT?
Unit Four: Charlottetown and Meech Lake
- An Assessment of the critical elements for Aboriginal people in the Charlottetown and Meech Lake Accords
- Did the two Accords represent progress or that status quo for Aboriginal people?
Lesson Seven – The Growth of Aboriginal Political Organizations
Unit One: A Brief History of the Aboriginal Political Organizations
Unit Two: The Emergence of National Aboriginal Political Organizations:
- The National Indian Brotherhood and The Assembly of First Nations
- Métis and Non-Status Organizations
- Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC)
Unit Three: The Emergence of Regional Aboriginal Political Organizations:
- First Nations regional organizations
- Métis and Non-Status organizations
- Inuit organizations
Unit Four: The Native Women’s Association of Canada
Unit Five: Other Key Organizations:
- National Association of Friendship Centres
- Cultural Education Centres
Lesson Eight – Towards Self-Government
Unit One: An Assessment of several Self-Government Initiatives and Modern Treaties
- The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA)
- Sechelt and Westbank
- COPE and the Inuvialiut Agreement
Unit Two: An Appreciation of several key court decisions:
- Delgamuukw
- Sparrow
- Van der Peet
- Powley
Unit Three: New Legislation and Economic Self-Sufficiency:
- An Understanding of the First Nations Land Management Act (FNLMA)
- An Assessment of the First Nations Statistical and Fiscal Management Act (FSMA)
Unit Four: A Review of Aboriginal Economic Infrastructural Support:
- Aboriginal Financial Managers Association (AFOA)
- National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA)
- Indian Taxation Advisory Board (ITAB)
- Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)
Lesson Nine – New Directions
Unit One: The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP):
- Understanding the connection between the Oka Crisis and RCAP
- Assessing RCAP’s legacy
- RCAP: Has it made a Difference?
Unit Two: New Governments:
- Understanding the importance of the 2000 Nisga’a Agreement
- Assessing the Nisga’a Agreement
- Does the creation of Nunavut in 1999 signal a new beginning?
Unit Three: The Residential School Resolution:
- An assessment of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation
- A Review of “The Apologies”
- Understanding the Legacy of Residential Schools
Unit Four: Demographics Don’t Lie:
- Understanding the role of population growth for Aboriginal people
- Aboriginal Youth: Opportunity or Status Quo?
- Aboriginal Seniors: We can’t all be Elders
Lesson Ten – New Developments
Unit One: New Economic Initiatives:
- Assessing the importance of new economic developments:
- Fish Farms
- Eco-Tourism
- Co-Economic projects
- Tourism
- Green initiatives
Unit Two: Urban Reserves:
- Reviewing the emergence of urban reserves
- Assessing their economic potential for FNs
- Urban reserves vs urban challenges
Unit Three: New Directions-Same Social Problems:
- Review selected social challenges:
- Family violence
- Drug and Alcohol abuse
- Poverty
- Capacity and Education
- Can chronic social challenges be met through economic success?
Unit Four: The Next Generation:
- Assessing the emergence of an Aboriginal middle class
- An appreciation of a new Aboriginal Economic Order
- The Road Ahead
CAFM 6 Grading Structure
CAFM 6 will include two assignments, two tests and one final exam that will scheduled during the course. A candidate’s final grade will be based on a total score from all of the above. The value of each of the requirements is:
| |
Participation/Discussion Questions |
20% |
| |
Assignment #1 |
15% |
| |
Assignment #2 |
15% |
| |
Test #1
|
15% |
| |
Test #2 |
15% |
| |
Final Exam
|
20% |
| |
|
| |
Total |
100% |