Logo by Bria Cross: Studio Arts – Dawson College
The Certificate of Decolonization and Indigenization Studies offers you the possibility of directing some of your education toward topics that explore Canada’s settler-colonial relationship to the wide diversity of Indigenous peoples who have been on these lands for millennia, while also learning about the many ways that Indigenous peoples have continued to strengthen their cultures amidst the challenges of settler-colonialism. The Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate will also provide you with the opportunity to participate in co-curricular activities organized at Dawson and beyond each year, and to build relationships with local Indigenous communities and with the urban Indigenous community in the vicinity of Dawson College.
The Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate is available for all Dawson students from all disciplines, in both pre-university programs and career programs. Students will have multiple pathways to complete the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies Certificate through program courses and through general education courses, as well as through their participation in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
The Decolonization and Indigenization Studies Certificate is based on a credit system, designed to ensure that there are multiple pathways for certificate completion. To complete the certificate, you must receive a total of 25 Decolonization and Indigenization Studies credits. Credits can be obtained via:
- Decolonization and Indigenization Studies Courses (minimum of 3 courses/15 credits)
Courses listed under the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate are worth 5 credits each. Students must pass a minimum of three courses to complete the certificate. Decolonization and Indigenization Studies courses are not additional courses to your required program load.
List of Decolonization and Indigenization Studies courses currently being offered
- Extracurricular activities
Decolonization and Indigenization Studies-related extracurricular activities are worth 1-3 credits each, depending on the amount of engagement necessary to complete the activity. Credit amounts will be determined by a Decolonization and Indigenization Studies committee composed of Decolonization and Indigenization Studies faculty members and students.
- Capstone project (optional)
For those students whose program involves a capstone project, students may receive 5 Decolonization and Indigenization Studies credits. Capstone projects must address an issue directly related to Decolonization and Indigenization, and must be approved by the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies Committee.
Upon the completion of the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate students will:
- Understand the diversity and contributions of Indigenous peoples, across Turtle Island and globally;
- Critically connect the history of Indigenous communities to contemporary issues that frame the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples today;
- Identify a variety of practices, methods and strategies deployed by Indigenous communities to build resilience to Settler-Colonialism, as well as contemporary resurgence initiatives;
- Be a part of a dynamic and growing innovative community of practice;
- Be able to situate themselves and their own trajectory in relation to colonization, and from that understanding be more informed as they contribute to reconciliation as they continue their studies and lives;
- Have learned from Indigenous teachers and knowledge keepers about Indigenous pedagogies, research methods and protocols based on relationship, reciprocity, the land, and knowledge production.
Every year Dawson College and the First Peoples Initiative holds a number of events for Decolonization and Indigenization Studies students and the broader Dawson Community, such as: guest speakers, film screenings, art-based workshops, artist exhibitions, elder-led discussions, retreats hosted by Indigenous communities, class trips, and the annual First Peoples Week. Your participation in these activities will count toward your completion of the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate.
To enrol in the Certificate of Decolonization and Indigenization Studies, follow these steps:
- Log in to the MyDawson Portal
- Click “My Intranet” (on left side)
- Click “Certificates of Study”
- Enroll in a new Dawson Certificate of Study
- Select “Certificate of Decolonization and Indigenization Studies” from the drop-down menu
- Enter your network password
- Click Submit
- You will then see a new section called “Certificates in which you have registered”
- The Certificate of Decolonization and Indigenization Studies will be listed there
The Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate addresses:
- Dawson College’s responsibilities as a signatory institution to the CICan Indigenous Education Protocol
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action
- The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- The Viens Commission Report
In responding to these important calls to action, the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate both draws from and contributes to larger societal discussions that are happening locally, nationally, and internationally.
