Overview
ANTH 362 provides an introduction to the diversity of cultures in Canadian First Peoples, including those people who identify as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. Students will be exposed to ethnographic content through textbooks, ethnographic texts, and film. This course is divided into geographical linguistic and culture areas, providing students with a wide breadth of precolonization, colonization, and current perspectives, including truth and reconciliation, from case studies across the country. An introductory course in cultural or social anthropology is a recommended prerequisite for this course.
Learning outcomes
Upon the completion of ANTH 362: First Peoples of Canada, students should be able to do the following:
- Recognize the complex cultural and linguistic diversity of First Peoples of Canada
- Dispel stereotypes and overgeneralizations about First Peoples of Canada
- Use ethnographic materials to support anthropological arguments about First Peoples of Canada
- Provide cultural and historical insight into current political conflicts regarding First Peoples’ rights in Canada
- Understand the context and content of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report
Outline
The course consists of the following ten units:
- Unit 1: Introduction
- Unit 2: The Arctic
- Unit 3: The Eastern Subarctic
- Unit 4: The Western Subarctic
- Unit 5: The Eastern Woodlands
- Unit 6: The Plains
- Unit 7: The Plateau
- Unit 8: Northwest Coast
- Unit 9: Conclusion
- Unit 10: Truth and Reconciliation
Evaluation
To receive credit for ANTH 362, you must complete and submit two assignments and a series of study journals, achieve a minimum grade of 50 percent on each of the examinations, and achieve an overall grade of at least D (50 percent) for the course. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight | Complete by |
| Study Journals | 10% | At the end of each unit |
| Midterm Exam | 25% | After Unit 4 |
| Event Observation | 15% | After Unit 6 |
| Research Term Paper | 25% | After Unit 10 |
| Final Exam | 25% | After Unit 10 and after all assignments have been completed and submitted |
| Total | 100% | |
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Wilson, Roderick C., and Christopher Fletcher, eds. Native Peoples: The Canadian Experience, 4th ed. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Ghostkeeper, Elmer. Spirit Gifting: The Concept of Spiritual Exchange. Raymond, AB: Writing on Stone Press, 2007.
Other Materials
All other course materials can be found online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ANTH 362 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.
| Activity | Weight |
| Examination | 100% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form