Graduate certificate in Indigenous Nationhood
The certificate in Indigenous Nationhood (IN) is a graduate level program that enables students to examine the intersections of law, politics, and governance. The certificate is designed to be completed in 1-2 years.
Students will be trained in a variety of areas that account for how Indigenous governance and legal traditions have been impacted by colonialism as well as how asymmetrical power relations continue to inform possibilities for decolonization and resurgence. Students will be exposed to theoretical and applied lines of inquiry centered in IN through the lenses of decolonization and resurgence, Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and Indigenous legal traditions, critical dialogues on diplomacy and sustainable relationships, critical race theory and settler colonialism, and Indigenous-state relations and constitutionalism.
The goals of the certificate are two-fold:
- We train students at an advanced level in the theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of the emerging field of Indigenous Nationhood to enable them to be future active researchers and engaged community members and scholars.
- We prepare students for careers in teaching, research and/or leadership in Indigenous communities and organizations in fields related to Indigenous Nationhood.
Program Structure:
Students can take this program complementary to an existing graduate degree or as a freestanding certificate.
For those students registered as graduate students in IGOV, political science or law, and the Certificate in Indigenous Nationhood, you should check which courses for your MA, PhD or LLM could be used to satisfy both your home department degree requirements and the Indigenous Nationhood certificate requirements. Keep in mind that depending on how students arrange their courses in IGOV, political science, law or another graduate program, the certificate in Indigenous Nationhood requires additional units of course work.
Students must take the following to complete the certificate:
- Complete all of the following
How to Apply:
- A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an institution recognized by UVic.
- A minimum B+ academic standing in the final two years of your undergraduate degree.
If your first language is not English, you must provide proof of language proficiency. Learn more about language requirements, including allowable exemptions and tests.
Review our general admission requirements for more information.
As part of your application, you must submit:
- A cover letter
- Your CV
- Two letters of reference submitted during the application process
- A two-page statement of intent that covers why you wish to participate in this program. It should also indicate your specific areas of research and academic interest
- A sample of academic writing in English. This sample should demonstrate your ability to produce high-quality work that:
- analyzes and interrogates a particular issue relevant to Indigenous Nationhood
- reaches beyond the limits of a single discipline
All applicants are normally expected to have some background in Indigenous Governance, politics, law or other related experience.
Summer Session: May - Aug 2024 - Application deadline: Mar 15 2024
First Term: Sep - Dec 2024 - Application deadline: Sep 15 2024
Piority consideration dates:
Sept - Dec 2024 - Priority consideration by June 1 2024
Jan - Apr 2024 - Prority consideration Nov 1 2024