Courses

Please note that not every course listed is offered each year and students should consult STU Self Service for current course offerings.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

NATI-1006. Introduction to Native Studies

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of Native Studies. Its purpose is to increase the student's understanding and sensitivity towards the past and present experience of Native peoples. The course will examine precontact history; the influences of colonialism and primitive accumulation/capitalism in the postcontact era; and contemporary issues - while emphasizing a historical and materialist perspective.

NATI-1103. Beginning Mi'kmaq

This course is designed for students with little or no knowledge of the language. The aims are listening comprehension and basic oral expression.

NATI-1113. Beginning Maliseet/Passamaquoddy I

This course is designed for students with little or no knowledge of the language. The aims are listening comprehension and basic oral expression.

NATI-1123. Beginning Maliseet/Passamaquoddy II

This course is intended to follow NATI-1113 Beginning Maliseet/Passamaquoddy I in an intensive language program. Taught primarily without the use of English or writing, it will build on grammatical patterns learned in Part I of this course through drill, practical applications and the introduction of new verbs and nouns. The goal of the course is to enhance listening comprehension and basic oral expression. Prerequisite: NATI-1113 Beginning Maliseet/ Passamaquoddy I. (Intended for students at St. Mary's, and is not eligible as elective for students doing a Minor, Major, or Honours in Native Studies.)

NATI-1133. Maliseet/Pass for Early Childh

This course is designed for non-fluent parents of infants and young children in an intensive language learning program. It will focus on basic conversation in speaking about infants and to toddlers to age five. Pre-requisite: NATI-1113 Beginning Maliseet/ Passamaquoddy I.

NATI-1143. Maliseet/Pass for Pre School

This course is designed for parents and teachers of pre-schoolers. It will focus on vocabulary for the pre-school classroom. Pre-requisite: Fluency in Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or NATI-1133.

NATI-2103. Intermediate Mi'kmaq

This course is designed to facilitate communication in Mi'kmaq at a functional level. It focuses on listening and speaking skills through basic conversation, and the study of grammar, phonics, structure, vocabulary, and word formation. Prerequisite NATI 1103, Beginning Mi'kmaq.

NATI-2113. Intermediate Maliseet /Passamaquoddy I

This course is designed to facilitate communication in Maliseet at a functional level. It focuses on listening and speaking skills through basic conversation, and the study of grammar, phonics, structure, vocabulary, and word formation. Prerequisite NATI 1113, Beginning Maliseet.

NATI-2123. Intermediate Maliseet II

This course is intended primarily for students in an intensive language learning program. Whereas Intermediate Maliseet I focuses on Dual subjects in Transitive and Intransitive forms, this class will provide practice with those dual forms and introduce I-you and You-me verbs plus Past Tense and Future Tense in Dual forms. Pre-requisite NATI-2113, Intermediate Maliseet I.

NATI-2203. First Nations Arts and Sciences

This course focuses on the relationship between science, art, environment, and material forms of life as practiced by various First Nations. It will examine especially the science involved in the arts of stone, wood, and leather-work for the production of tools, food, clothing, shelter, and canoes. Prerequisite: NATI 1006 Introduction to Native Studies.

NATI-2213. Native Literature

This course introduces students to a broad range of Native literature and Native oral traditions written and translated into English. Works by Native people of diverse First Nations will be carefully studied and critically evaluated. By focusing on a variety of approaches to creative expression, students will be able to develop an informed understanding of, and appreciation for, the intrinsic value of Native oral and literary traditions.

NATI-2233. Natural Resources and First Nations of The Maritimes

This course will survey archaeological and historical records for traditional economic activities, and focus on the practices and philosophies integral to First Nations forms of life in the Maritimes. It will address the historical, political and social factors that have impacted on those practices, including colonialism, immigration, education, industrialization, capitalism, regulation, and environmental degradation. It will also consider the struggles of First Nations in this region to maintain and/or reclaim access to traditional lands and resources. Prerequisite: NATI 1006, Introduction to Native Studies.

NATI-2303. Science, Ethics and Native People

This course is designed to introduce students to ethical issues that arise between the sciences (both social and physical) and indigenous peoples. Anthropology, education, psychology, archaeology, medicine, biology, and other disciplines follow lines of inquiry that impact indigenous peoples, and their theories, methods, interpretations, and interests are examined in relation to ethical considerations. We emphasize the concerns and point of view of Native people. The course may include issues of exhumation and public display of skeletal remains and sacred objects, control over access to information, the political relevance of research and its role in land claims, the ethics of assessment and drawing conclusions about the nature of indigenous peoples, and other topics.

NATI-2503. Research Strategies in Native Studies

What is accepted as scientific bases for existing pronouncements about Native peoples - made by educators, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and others - generally fail to pass even minimal analytic, ethical, and philosophical requirements for constituting valid findings. Regrettably, few people realize this: most importantly, Native Peoples themselves are agents of programs & policies supposedly based upon such research. This course will give students an introduction to the technical requirements needed to identify, as such, incorrect, racist, pseudo-scientific mischaracterizations of Native Peoples; in addition, they will learn the basics of conducting proper research themselves.

NATI-2603. Roles of Native Women (WSGS)

This course looks at the traditional role of Native women within Native societies, and how that role has changed over time. It will examine the oppression that Native women have experienced, their responses to it, and the political, economic, social, and spiritual roles they have played both in their own struggles for liberation and in the struggles of their people. Will also look at the lives and voices of prominent Native women, and consider the development of Native women's organizations and the influences of feminism.

NATI-2703. Invented Traditions

This course takes an analytical look at the invention of pseudo-traditions with a focus on indigenous nations in the context of a worldwide historical problem. Colonial and invader/settler powers destroy, romanticize, omit, distort, and replace indigenous traditions with hoaxes catering to the agendas of colonial/capitalist development. Often, these invented traditions destroy communal spirituality, beliefs, and lifeways, and replace them with new age individualist metaphysical beliefs. Case studies include the Scottish kilt, the medicine wheel originally based on the eugenic colours of man, animism, invented oral traditions, bloodlines, Chief and Council, and cuisine that is installed as a cultural trait. The course explores the problems of pan-Indianism, where traditions and ceremony from a specific indigenous nation is expanded into the traditional custom of all indigenous nations, including passing off another indigenous nation's lifeways as a the traditional government of another indigenous nation.

NATI-3103. Conversational Mi'kmaq

This course emphasizes fluency using all forms taught in Intermediate Mi'kmaq. Class will be conducted as an immersion class, and oral traditions of storytelling and public speaking will be featured. Prerequisite: NATI 2103 Intermediate Mi'kmaq or basic fluency in Mi'kmaq.

NATI-3113. Conversational Maliseet/Passamaquoddy

This course emphasizes fluency using all forms taught in Intermediate Mi'kmaq. Class will be conducted as an immersion class, and oral traditions of storytelling and public speaking will be featured. Prerequisite: NATI 2113 Intermediate Maliseet/Passamaquoddy or basic fluency in Maliseet/Passamaquoddy.

NATI-3203. Native Philosophy

This course examines Native cosmologies (world views) and ways of thinking, feeling, and knowing as the foundation of indigenous spiritual, political, social, and economic systems. Defines the continuing existence and vitality of traditional Native philosophy and traces its influence on Western knowledge. Prerequisite: NATI 1006 or by permission of instructor.

NATI-3223. Native Environmental Ethics and Ecology (HMRT)

Examines traditional and contemporary environmental values and practices of Indigenous peoples in North America. Considers the impact of Western values, practices, and ecological theories on Indigenous peoples and their environments. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which traditional environmental ethics remain viable in contemporary societies.

NATI-3313. Contemporary Issues in Native/Non-Native Relations

The course will examine social, political, and legal issues in the relations between Aboriginal and Immigrant societies in North America. Discussion will include theoretical approaches and the conflict between theory and reality.

NATI-3333. Colonial Cartography & Indigenous Nations

An analytical look at indigenous geographies / cartographies and European colonial cartography of the Americas and the world. Thematic topics include mapping techniques, materialist rationale behind the mapping of the world, and the abstract changes to the indigenous landscapes by European settler cartographers with the physical consequences of those changes. The course will conclude with an analysis of academic cartography and how scholars generalize / conceptualize indigenous geographies.

NATI-3403. Special Topics

This course is directed primarily at upper-level students majoring in Native Studies, and other students seeking to understand and work with Native communities. The specific topic of the course will vary from year to year. Topics such as Native Systems of Law, Oral Traditions, Racism, and Native Health Care may be the focus in any particular year. Students will be expected to do library and/or field research, and to present and defend the results of their study in class.

NATI-3416. Topics in Native Studies

NATI-3446. Topics in Native Studies

NATI-3453. Teaching Adult Immersion

Using research in second-language acquisition, this course identifies specific immersion methods for teaching a Native language as a second language to adults. It emphasizes the oral approach for developing conversational fluency and considers means for assessing students, establishing appropriate goals, and evaluating learning in basic conversation. Fluency in Maliseet or Mi'kmaq is required. Prerequisite: NATI 4123, Native Language Immersion Teaching,or by special permission.

NATI-3463. Immersion for Kindergarten

This course focuses on strategies for teaching all subject areas in the mother-tongue, particularly to children who come from English-speaking homes. It pays particular attention to methods for achieving fluency, with special attention to teaching pre-primary literacy and numeracy skills. The course will also consider culturally appropriate teaching styles and curriculum planning, in relation to the physical, social, and emotional development of the kindergarten child. Prerequisite: NATI 4123, Native Language Immersion Teaching, or by special permission.

NATI-3473. Theory and Practice in Native Language Immersion Education

This course analyzes the research of Drs. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Jim Cummins and others in language loss, first-and second-language learning, and immersion education. It focuses also on the strategies, experiences, and educational results of existing Native Language Immersion programmes, particularly those of the Hawaiians, Maoris, Navajos, Mohawks, Okanagans, and Inuit. Fluency in Maliseet or Mi'kmaq is not required.

NATI-3503. Advanced Research Strategies in Native Studies

This course will examine advanced research methods of particular use in research with indigenous populations. Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be covered, although one or the other may be emphasized in any particular semester. Prerequisite: NATI 2503, Research Strategies in Native Studies.

NATI-3603. Native People and the Colonial Experience

This course will look at colonialism as a strategy of imperialism and as a model for understanding North American Native history. Different types of colonialism will be explored, i.e. classic, internal, and neocolonialism, and an emphasis will be placed on the history and continuing impact of colonialism on Indigenous peoples and cultures of North America. The course will also analyze Christian missions, the fur trade, and colonial government policies, as well as exploitation, racism, war, indoctrination, genocide, and cultural appropriation as manifestations of colonialism. Responses to colonialism, including resistance and decolonization, will also be considered. Prerequisite: NATI 1006.

NATI-3613. Native Resistance and Liberation

Focuses on the many historical and contemporary forms of Native resistance to colonization, including violent and non-violent resistance, revitalization movements, and self-determination. Explores liberation theory and its roots in colonial oppression. Analyzes historical and contemporary resistance movements such as the Ghost Dance Movement, the Riel Rebellion, the fish-ins, the confrontations at Wounded Knee and Oka, and the movement for decolonization through self-determination. Prerequisite: NATI 3603 or by special permission of the instructor.

NATI-3623. Native Education and Colonization

This course will examine traditional forms and philosophies of education in Native societies, and the changes that have occurred since contact and colonization. It will also examine the formal education of Natives by the immigrant society as indoctrination for civilization and assimilation. It will look closely at residential and day schools in Canada and the United States and the effect they have had on contemporary Native societies and cultures. Special attention will be given to the relationship between education and cultural survival, and the importance for Native people to reclaim and control the education of their children. Prerequisite: NATI 3603 or permission of the instructor.

NATI-3633. Maliseet/Passamaquoddy History

This course will explore the cultural, social, and political past of the Maliseet/Passamaquoddy People through archaeological, oral, visual, and material documentation, as well as primary and secondary written sources. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the Maliseet form of life and how it has been affected by colonization. Class will also study how the perspective of different writers influences what gets recorded and taught as history. An important theme of the course will be the relevance of the past to the present. Class will consist of lectures and discussions with occasional films and special speakers. Prerequisite: NATI 1006, Introduction to Native Studies.

NATI-3643. Mi'kmaq History

This course will explore the cultural, social, and political past of the Mi'kmaq People through archaeological, oral, visual, and material documentation, as well as primary and secondary written sources. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the Mi'kmaq form of life and how it has been affected by colonization. Class will also study how the perspective of different writers influences what gets recorded and taught as history. An important theme of the course will be the relevance of the past to the present. Class will consist of lectures and discussions with occasional films and speakers. Prerequisite: NATI 1006, Introduction to Native Studies.

NATI-3703. Indigenous and Western Economics and the Idea of Development

Examines indigenous economic cultures and the impact of western economic culture on traditional social organization and values. Looks closely at the fur trade, capitalism, industry, technology, and their effects on environment and indigenous cultures. Analyzes the development of dependency and the idea of economic development. Alternatives in which Native economic values provide the basis for viable economic endeavours will be considered.

NATI-3713. Are Aboriginal People Human? Human and Aboriginal Rights

The goal of this course is to conceptualize the fundamental justifications for human rights and contrast those with Aboriginal rights. Some relevant questions that this course will explore are: Why do Aboriginal peoples need a different class of rights? Are Aboriginal rights theorized in an equitable manner? What processes are served by conceiving and executing Aboriginal rights as we see them today? What attributes do Aboriginal peoples lack which makes them not fully human?

NATI-3803. Indigenous Cultures and Immigrant Ethnic Minorities

This course examines the different situations and conditions of Indigenous cultures and immigrant ethnic minorities in Canada and the treatment of each by different levels of government. Special attention is given to attitudes, perceptions, and the idea of multiculturalism. Emphasizes the importance of power variables in the examination of immigrant and Indigenous relations in Canadian society. Also examines how immigrant ethnic minorities often form coalitions becoming the dominant culture subordinating Indigenous cultures. Prerequisite: NATI 1006 or SOCI 1006.

NATI-3813. Native Cultural Identity and Cultural Survival (HMRT)

Considers cultural identity and survival within the context of inequality (power, wealth and status). Focuses on the ways in which Native language, group solidarity and community offer cultural completeness, acting as barriers to assimilation. Historic and contemporary Native cultures are presented as dynamic and flexible. Prerequisite NATI 1006 or SOCI 1006.

NATI-3823. Native Peoples and the Canadian Form of Racism (HMRT)

The indigenous peoples of Canada are often included as an afterthought in academic works on racism, which tend to focus on Black-White relations. However, rather than being marginal to understanding the issues of race and racism, the early encounters between European and Native Americans are central to its proper understanding. The issues which arose from Columbus' explorations remain as central to understanding modern racism as they were to the creation of racist ideology in the first place, and the treatment of indigenous peoples in Canada today is shown to be a direct intellectual descendent of the material need to deny the humanity of other human beings.

NATI-3843. Suicide and Indigenous Peoples

Suicide is, and has been for nobody knows how long, rampant in indigenous populations in Canada. Despite well-publicized projects targeting specific communities, none of the interventions have been able to demonstrate any positive effect; if anything, the problem continues to worsen. We examine critically the field of Suicidology as it applies to the Native Peoples of Canada and suggest reasons why efforts to prevent suicide have not paid off. We also explore different kinds of interventions that may be more successful.

NATI-3853. Alcohol, Drugs, and Indigenous Peoples

This course provides an introduction to issues of alcohol and drug use/abuse in indigenous communities (concentrating on Canada for the most part, but including reference to such issues in other indigenous communities worldwide). Traditional uses of substances which alter consciousness are reviewed, as well as the role that the introduction of unfamiliar psychoactive substances played in European expansionism and colonialism. Modern models of addiction and programs for recovery are critically examined and placed within the context of creating a continuing marginalization of indigenous cultures by dominating ones.

NATI-3863. Indian Public Health

Health statistics show Native Peoples in Canada as public health disasters: high rates of diabetes, tuberculosis, cancer, suicide, AIDS, etc. are regularly reported. Standard accounts typically find a way of attributing the problems to Indians themselves (e.g., genetic explanations or lifestyle choices). We critically examine the methodologically-individualistic biases of standard accounts of Indian ill-heath and place Native public health issues in an historical and materialist framework instead. Alternative forms of interventions are also considered.

NATI-3873. Introduction to Indigenous/Cultural Psychology

While psychology has an important place in examining and understanding issues of the modern world, it has long been shown to be founded upon certain ideological presumptions that make it inapplicable to and inappropriate for work with indigenous peoples. A different formulation of psychology, which predated the current form but which was abandoned for no substantial reason, has in recent years been offered as a replacement, or at least an alternative, for the current model. We examine this formulation and apply it to psychology issues arising in indigenous peoples/communities of Canada, and show how this reconceptualization gives rise to substantively different approaches to addressing those issues.

NATI-3903. Native Peoples and the Law: Theory

An analytical overview of the development of European bodies of law during the creation and rise of capitalism, as it began in Europe and continued to the creation of the 1876 Indian Act - a legal history of the legal-political relationship between Native peoples and Europeans. This course will especially focus on the 1823 Johnson v. M'Intosh decision, which gave white Christian empires and their successors the right to take automatic possession of Indigenous territory on discovery of the land - The Doctrine of Discovery. The differences between Common Law and Civil Law will be analyzed. The course will conclude with a brief overview of the 1888 St. Catharines Milling and Lumber Co v. R decision in Canada.

NATI-3913. Native Peoples and the Law: Practice

An analysis of court decisions affecting questions of the status of Native peoples, Aboriginal rights, family law, treaty rights (as incorporated into settler nation-state laws), and social relations in Canada and the United States, including the Constitution Act, 1982. After a brief look at the 1876 Indian Act, the course will examine how the Act changed and evolved over time, in particular with the inclusion of the Inuit and with Bill C-31 on the status of women. Court cases from the 1888 St. Catharines Milling and Lumber Co v. 10 R. decision onward through the landmark Marshall decision (1999) will be analyzed and discussed.

NATI-3923. Territorial Claims: Theory and Practice

This course examines Indigenous rights pertaining to land and waterway entitlement in North America. Theoretical concepts will be discussed, including the concepts of land use and land occupancy. The well-documented history of Indigenous land ownership before and during European contact will be analyzed, as well as the attempts by settler nation-states to replace communal Indigenous land ownership to capitalist individual land ownership (fee simple) with Indigenous share holders. The course will include an overview of landmark cases, including the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; Delgamuukw and Tsilhqot'in Nation; land claims in Labrador; Miccosukee water rights; and potential Greenland independence.

NATI-3933. Treaties and International Law (HMRT)

The goal of this course is to familiarize the student with international legal norms and instruments as they relate to indigenous peoples, including Indians in Canada. Treaties between indigenous nations and European empires/settler nation-states are nation-to-nation agreements, and thus, international law, which will be discussed and analyzed. Various United Nations instruments will be studied. As well, this course will look at the history and law of various locations outside Canada such as: Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, Norway, central and south America and southeast Asia. This course is designed as an upper year survey course.

NATI-3943. Métis Issues

The goal of this course is to familiarize the student with the Métis people of western Canada. Other mixed blood or dual-culture populations will be studied for comparative value. The course will give a historical background on the creation of the Métis Nation and the corresponding political and legal struggles of the Métis People. The Métis were a key player in the expansion of the Canadian state into what is now western Canada. We will examine the benefits and drawbacks that the Métis have experienced in their interaction with the Canadian state.

NATI-4006. Structure of Native Languages

This course examines the structure of Mi'kmaq and Maliseet from a linguistic and literary perspective. What are the significant features of these languages, and how do they determine the unique cultural outlook of those who speak them? Students explore the structure of Mi'kmaq and Maliseet and examine the differences between these languages and English. The course will also look at problems of translation, and the criteria and methods for the production of texts and other materials in Native language. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Consideration will be given to the student's level of competence in speaking and understanding the Mi'kmaq or Maliseet language.

NATI-4123. Introduction to Native Language I Immersion Teaching

This introductory course in immersion teaching focuses on training fluent speakers of Mi'kmaq or Maliseet/Passamaquoddy to teach using their own language as the language of instruction. The course surveys research and practice in Native language immersion education and focuses on the development of culturally relevant curriculum and teaching materials for Mi'kmaq and Maliseet/Passamaquoddy immersion classrooms. Includes also a linguistic component focusing on structures and concepts in each language. Fluency in Mi'kmaq or Maliseet/Passamaquoddy.

NATI-4133. Accelerated Methods for Teaching the Target Language in Core Programs (Immersion)

This course, conducted entirely in the target language, is designed to provide language teachers with teaching methods designed for accelerated language acquisition in an immersion classroom. Its goal is teaching beginners to think and achieve proficiency in the language in a short time. Working with a small number of representative nouns and verbs, this teaching technique moves quickly from simple present indicative forms to complex conjunct forms. Prerequisite: NATI 3103, Conversational Mi'kmaq, or NATI 3113, Conversational Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or the equivalent, or fluency in the target language.

NATI-4143. Methods in Immersion Teaching

This course focuses on approaches to teaching in a full immersion setting for the daycare, nursery, and kindergarten levels, as well as the primary grades (Ages 2-8). It surveys standard teaching philosophies and methodologies for their relevance to the cultural, social, physical, and cognitive learning needs of young Aboriginal children. Considers goals and strategies for teaching both basic subject matter and Native language skills in comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Prerequisite: NATI 4123 Methods in Native Language Immersion Teaching, or by special permission.

NATI-4153. Curriculum Planning for the Immersion Classroom

The focus of this course is curriculum design for classrooms using Mi'kmaq or Maliseet as the medium of instruction. Special attention will be given to principles in child development, first-and second-language learning, Aboriginal learning and teaching styles, and current theory in curriculum development as it relates to the Native language immersion classroom. Students will gain experience using their own languages to build units and long-range plans that are both developmentally sound and culturally relevant. Prerequisite: Fluency in Maliseet or Mi'kmaq and NATI 4123, Native Language Immersion Teaching or by special permission.

NATI-4163. Lanuage Arts in Preschool (Immersion)

This course is designed to introduce teachers to methods for teaching non-fluent preschoolers in the medium of the target language. Using an activity centered orientation it focuses on fluency for children ages one to five in a progression based on the centrality of verbs in First Nations languages. Students will also learn how to incorporate fun and play into all aspects of their teaching. Prerequisite: Conversational Mi'kmaq, NATI 3123 or Conversational Maliseet/ Passamaquoddy, NATI 3103, or the equivalent, or fluency in the target language.

NATI-4173. Methods in Immersion Teaching II

This course focuses on approaches to teaching in an immersion setting for adults and students over the age of 9. It will address goals of comprehension, speaking, reading and writing in classrooms or outdoor programs and consider appropriate measurement tools. A particular focus of this course will be strategies for maintaining the target language as the medium of instruction in major subject areas. Pre-requisite: NATI-4123 Methods in Immersion Teaching I or by special permission.

NATI-4213. Morphology in the Target Language

Morphology is the description of grammatical forms in a language. As such, this course studies the internal structure of words. It looks especially at the smallest units which have the ability to change meaning in a word, and defines the grammatical rules that apply. Prerequisite: NATI 2103, Intermediate Mi'kmaq, or NATI 2113, Intermediate Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or the equivalent, or fluency in the language.

NATI-4223. Phonology in the Target Language

Phonology is the study of general phonetics in relation to the sound system of a language. Focusing on the target First Nation language, it will consider the reproduction of sounds, particularly consonants and vowels, and study the various orthographies (writing systems) of the language. Prerequisite: NATI 2103, Intermediate M'kmaq, or NATI 2113, Intermediate Maliseet/Passamaquoddy or the equivalent, or fluency in the language.

NATI-4233. Verbs in the Target Language I

This course will analyze verb stems, animate and inanimate, transitive and intransitive verbs, and additional structural elements including person, tense, singular, plural, negative and affirmative, in indicative, conjunct and imperative forms. Prerequisite: NATI 1103, Beginning Mi'kmaq, or NATI 1113, Beginning Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or the equivalent, or fluency in the language.

NATI-4243. Literature and Writing in the Target Language

This course, conducted entirely in the target language, will survey and analyze published materials in the language focusing on representative samples from early historic documents and liturgical writings, to dictionaries, recorded oral traditions, and more contemporary documents, including children's literature and curriculum materials. Particular attention will be paid to content, orthographies, grammatical changes, and historical and contemporary uses for the texts. Students will also gain experience writing essays in the language. Prerequisite: NATI 3103. Conversational Mi'kmaq, or NATI 3113 Conversational Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or the equivalent, or fluency in the target language.

NATI-4253. Adv. Maliseet/Passamaquoddy I

This course focuses on the grammatical patterns and processes in the Maliseet/Passamaquoddy language, and how they are put into use in comprehension and conversation. Pitch accent and advanced verb forms such as relative, subordinative, inverse, indefinite subject, conjunct and obviation will be considered. Prerequisites: Either NATI 2113 Intermediate Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or NATI 3113 Conversational Maliseet, or the equivalent.

NATI-4263. Verbs in the Target Language II

This course builds on knowledge of verb forms taught in NATI-4233 and introduces more complex forms such as the true plural, changed and unchanged conjunct, inverse forms, indefinite subject forms, absentative and dubitative preterit. Students will be asked to analyze existing texts in the language and develop their own texts using the various forms. Pre-requisites: NATI-4233. Verbs in the Target Language I or by special permission.

NATI-4273. Morphology in Target Lang. II

This course is intended for students in an intensive language learning program, but fluent speakers of the language could also take it to assist them in teaching the language. As a follow--up to NATI 4213 Morphology in the Target Language I it will focus on more complex aspects of the internal structure of words and study the conversational uses of the complex forms. Pre--requisites: NATI 4213 Morphology in the Target Language I or by permission. 3 credit hours.

NATI-4293. Adv. Maliseet/Passamaquoddy II

This course is intended for students in an intensive language learning program, but fluent speakers of the course may also enroll. As a follow-up to NATI 4253, Advanced Maliseet I this course will address additional forms such as Negative, Preterit, Changed and Unchanged Conjunct, Absentative and Dubitative as used in conversation. Pre-requisites: NATI 4253 Advanced Maliseet or by permission. 3 credit hours

NATI-4323. Phonology in the Target Language II

This course is intended primarily for students in an intensive language learning program. It will provide practical experience with elements of Phonology in the Target Language I, with special emphasis on reading and writing. Pre-requisite: NATI-4223 Phonology in the Target Language I.

NATI-4433. Practicum in Early Childhood or Adult Immersion

This practicum in either an early childhood, kindergarten, or adult immersion classroom will allow the student to develop and practice skills learned in the immersion methods courses. Fluency in Maliseet or Mi'kmaq is essential. Prerequisite: Completion of twelve half-credit courses in the Native Language Immersion Teacher Training.

NATI-4443. History in the Target Language (Immersion)

This course, conducted entirely in a First Nation language, will focus on pre-contact and post-contact history, both oral and written. Texts used for the course will be those materials written in the language, both manuscript and published sources. Speakers on oral history will be invited and tape collections, where available, will be utilized. Students will be expected to research and write papers in the language on selected topics. Prerequisite: NATI 3103, Conversational Mi'kmaq, or NATI 3113, Conversational Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or the equivalent, or fluency in the target language.

NATI-4453. Literature and Writing in the Target Language

This course, conducted entirely in the target language, will survey and analyze published materials in the language focusing on representative samples from early historic docu- ments and liturgical writings, to dictionaries, recorded oral traditions, and more contem- porary documents, including children's literature and curriculum materials. Particular attention will be paid to content, orthographies, grammatical changes, and historical and contemporary uses for the texts. Students will also gain experience writing essays in the language. Prerequisite: NATI 3103. Conversational Mi'kmaq, or NATI 3113 Conversational Maliseet/Passamaquoddy, or the equivalent, or fluency in the target language.

NATI-4503. Independent Study

Students are required to complete a thesis proposal preferably by the end of their third year. By the beginning of the second semester of their third year, students should choose a member of the NATI faculty to be their advisor for writing the honours proposals. Advisors will guide the students through the process of developing a workable thesis and building annotated bibliographies on the relevant topics. This is a course of study under the supervision of a member of the faculty of Native Studies. It is arranged with the consent of the Chair of the Department and in consultation with the professor.

NATI-4506. Independent Study

This is a third- or fourth-year course of study under the supervision of a member of the faculty of Native Studies. It is arranged with the consent of the Chair of the Department and in consultation with the professor. Enrolment is restricted to students who wish to pursue an area of special interest.

NATI-4623. First Nations' Historiographies: Theory

This course examines First Nations' historiography in historical periods in Canada and compare standard accounts with facts and perspectives that have been kept out of mainstream sources. Students will be expected to research a particular topic within the context of Indigenous history, identify what has been left out, and explicate why this is likely the case. The contributions of archaeology, cartography, oral history, and ethnohistory will be considered along with the issues of context, perspective and ethics, in researching and writing First Nations' history. Prerequisite: NATI 1006.

NATI-4633. First Nations' Historiographies: Practice

This course follows NATI 4623 and focuses the materialist Indigenous histories in Canada. Students will continue with their historiographic paper topic in NATI 4623 to incorporate historical research. Students will also learn to access and evaluate a broad variety of sources including archives, oral traditions, and internet sources. The goal will be to develop the capacity for evaluating and reinterpreting standard accounts, and for articulating new understandings, while formulating a publishable-worthy paper. Prerequisite: NATI 4623.

NATI-4996. Honours Thesis

Students are required to complete a thesis proposal preferably by the end of their third year. By the beginning of the second semester of their third year, students should choose a member of the NATI faculty to be their advisor for writing the honours proposals. Advisors will guide the students through the process of developing a workable thesis and building annotated bibliographies on the relevant topics. Students will be asked to formally present their thesis to the Native Studies faculty for discussion and feedback.