First Nations Studies (MA Program)

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in First Nations Studies at UNBC centers on the perspectives of First Nations communities, challenging assumptions and fostering learning from and about the First Nations of the north. The program includes courses, internships, and community-based research, culminating in a thesis or major project. Delivered in a block format with mandatory in-person attendance, the program is led by a team of experienced faculty.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Master of Arts (MA) program in First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) establishes the perspectives of First Nations people and communities as the starting point for description and analysis, contextualizing issues from this vantage point. The program challenges students to question the underlying assumptions of everyday study and places special emphasis on creating opportunities for students to learn from and about the First Nations of the north.

Outline:

Year 1:

• FNST 600-3: Foundations of First Nations Studies: Theory and Practice
• FNST 602-3: The Practice of Research
• FNST 605-3: The State of the Discipline
• FNST 650-3: Special Topics

Year 2:

• FNST 795-3: Research Seminar (extends over September and January semesters)
• FNST 799-15: Graduate Thesis
• FNST 797-15: MA Project
The program also offers courses taught in First Nations communities, internships, and community-based research projects.

Teaching:

The classroom segment of the FNST MA program is delivered to a cohort of students, face-to-face, in a block format. The program offers two-day sessions spanning one weekend once a month, from September to April. All the students in the cohort take the same required courses, and focus on their individual coursework and their research on their own particular area of interest. In-person attendance is mandatory.

Faculty:

• Margaret Anderson, Professor Emerita
• Ross Hoffman, Professor Emeritus
• Antonia Mills, Professor Emerita
• Tina Fraser, Adjunct Professor and Acting Chair
• Margo Greenwood, Professor
• Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville, Associate Professor
• Rheanna Robinson, Associate Professor
• Daniel Sims, Associate Professor
• Tara Joly, Assistant Professor
• Jessie King, Assistant Professor
• Earl Henderson, Adjunct Professor
• Travis Holyk, Adjunct Professor
• Tyler McCreary, Adjunct Professor
• Deanna Nyce, Adjunct Professor
• Judy / Edōsdi Thompson, Adjuct Professor