Academic Committee: B. Cotter (College of Law); H. Dickinson, J. Garcea, T. Wotherspoon (College of Arts & Science)

Program Coordinator: A. Mease

The Indigenous Peoples and Justice initiative is the fourth priority area approved by the University Council as part of the Priority Determination process. The College of Arts & Science offers an IPJP Minor, in addition to streams in Sociology and a B.A. Four-year and Honours in Aboriginal Public Administration. These specializations provide students an opportunity to combine discipline-specific training with a focus on Aboriginal issues and subject matter relevant to Aboriginal communities. Four capstone courses (IPJP 301.3, IPJP 302.3, IPJP 402.3, IPJP 403.3) provide interdisciplinary study in Indigenous knowledge and concepts of justice.

For students admitted to the College of Law, a second degree program is available leading to a B.A. Four-year or Honours in Sociology with a focus on Indigenous Peoples and Justice. Students in this program are allowed to use 18 credit units of LAW courses toward the electives requirement for the B.A. program, and therefore, may complete both degrees in less time than if they were taken separately. Students who wish to earn this second degree will follow the Sociology program requirements for the Indigenous Peoples and Justice Programs. For more information, students may contact the Program Coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples and Justice Programs.

One of the key goals of the Indigenous Peoples and Justice Program (IPJP) is to foster interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate academic and research programs that explore Indigenous Knowledge and ways of knowing in the realms of justice, law and social order. To achieve this goal, four Indigenous Knowledge (IPJP) capstone courses have been created as a central feature of IPJP through which departments and colleges can further develop their academic programs to reflect Indigenous peoples and justice, while retaining their disciplinary distinctiveness.

The IPJP courses and participating programs are open to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. At present, the College of Arts and Science has implemented the IPJP courses in the following degree programs: Aboriginal Public Administration (APA); Indigenous Peoples and Justice Specialization in Sociology.