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Program Details
How do the land, Indigenous languages and kinship shape human and more-than-human relations? How are Indigenous peoples fighting the climate crisis? How can we explain the conflicts we see around land and rights, especially in an age declared to be about (re)conciliation? These are some of the questions you will pursue as a student in Indigenous Studies, a program that centres Indigenous worldviews in our research, teaching and mentoring. While Indigenous Studies is a diverse field of study and engagement, we are unified by our commitment to Indigenous resurgence and ways of knowing, community-engaged learning and dissection of colonial power and politics.
A Diverse and Comprehensive Curriculum
You will take courses that discuss Indigenous feminisms, genders and sexualities, ecological ways of knowing, Indigenous urbanisms, Indigenous legal orders, historical and contemporary Indigenous political struggles, Indigenous arts and culture, Indigenous languages and their relationships to the land, and global Indigeneity, among others.
Our faculty consist of elders, knowledge keepers and community members with a track record of contributing to Indigenous knowledge development.
With a degree in Indigenous Studies, you will be prepared to participate knowledgeably in urgent agendas of change: decolonization, climate action, Indigenous cultural and political resurgence, anti-racist education, grassroots capacity-building, law and policy reform and revising public narratives of Canada and beyond.
Capital Advantage
Our unique location in Ottawa provides an important source of stimulus and support for both faculty and students interested in Indigenous Studies.
Work Experience
A practicum option exists for students to be able to apply their knowledge with a local organization whose mandate involves working with and/or for Indigenous peoples.
Get started in Carleton360 to receive tailored information on our programs, student services and community.
Career Outcomes
Explore your passions, refine new skills and discover the career that’s right for you.
We live in an era of decolonization, where transnational and international Indigenous rights-based discourse and movements contribute to Indigenous cultural and political resurgence on a massive scale. Our graduates will be well positioned to work in a wide variety of workplaces impacted by these developments.
Sample Courses
INDG 1000 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies
Survey of historical and contemporary issues relating to Indigenous peoples in Canada. Cultural traditions and the social interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous societies are approached from an interdisciplinary perspective.
INDG 3015 - Indigenous Cosmologies
This course will provide an overview of diverse Indigenous cosmologies and perspectives on land, water, atmospheres, and more-than-human beings and ethical ways of working with these knowledges. We will draw on Indigenous knowledge from nations/societies/communities around the globe.
Visit the Undergraduate Calendar to view a comprehensive list of course offerings for this program and discover the exciting things Carleton students are learning in the classroom!
I'm really thankful for the fantastic journey my Indigenous Studies and Canadian Studies majors provided. Being Indigenous Deaf, this program not only helped me understand Indigenous perspectives, but also gave me the power to speak up for better accessibility in Indigenous education. Landing a full-time job as a social policy analyst at CIRNAC shows how well my program creates advocates and changemakers and prepares students for the real world. I'm excited to keep contributing to the mix of Indigenous studies, accessibility and social policy in my work.
