Manitoban: U of M Debates Mandatory Indigenous Course Requirement

As the student newspaper reports:

The University of Manitoba is taking steps to meet its strategic goals and expand indigenous education into every faculty and discipline.

Indigenous education was put in the front seat of the university’s 2015-2020 strategic plan, which calls for every graduate of the U of M to leave with an understanding of the struggles and contributions Indigenous peoples have made in Manitoba and Canada….

“There really isn’t any excuse for anyone not to become informed or aware of the indigenous people of this country because there’s resources everywhere,” said Deborah Young, the university’s executive lead for indigenous achievement.

The question facing the university, she said, is how to implement indigenous teachings into programming.

It could come in the form of a mandatory course or credit requirement – which will take effect in the fall at the University of Winnipeg – or from integrating indigenous perspectives into existing course outlines.