The University of Alberta is offering an online course through the Faculty of Native Studies called Countering Stereotypes of Indigenous Peoples, which asks people to question “what they think they know about indigenous people.” .“We talked about what the course could look like and all agreed we needed to spend some time just making sure students understood what a stereotype is, how they work and function, and then give some foundational knowledge to understand the space in which colonial stereotypes came to be, and how they are perpetuated,” said U of A native studies professor and course creator Tasha Hubbard in a press release. .Hubbard said Countering Stereotypes of Indigenous Peoples opens by exploring the foundations of colonialism, which led to stereotypes about indigenous people in Canada. The release said Hubbard designed the lessons with PhD student and podcaster Molly Swain and former professors Savage Bear and Sara Howdle..Hubbard said the course explores how stereotypes contributed to indigenous people being oppressed. She said there are cases where “people have died through lack of care in waiting rooms because of assumptions that healthcare workers have around indigenous people.”.The release said the course explores the effects of microaggressions. One microaggression it will examine is indigenous people being followed around in stores. .It said students will unpack 10 common colonial stereotypes about indigenous people and how these beliefs were created and perpetuated by settler colonialism. Students will learn about indigenous people not being lazy. .Swain said the course tackles why settlers want to keep these stereotypes alive. She noted settler colonialism is positioned as “self-evidently superior to indigenous lifeways.” .“Stereotypes continue to function as a way to dehumanize indigenous people and naturalize our ongoing dispossession and marginalization,” said Swain..“This benefits settlers by allowing for the discursive and often physical ‘clearing’ of the land for their use, enrichment and enjoyment.”.The three-credit course is open to undergraduate students from around the world and can be taken on a non-credit basis..Hubbard said she hopes people come away with more awareness of how to resist stereotypes in daily life..“People who haven’t lived with that treatment don’t understand the impact that can have,” said Hubbard. .St. Thomas University (STU) is offering a similar social-justice themed course, teaching students about defunding the police. .READ MORE: New Brunswick university offering course about defunding the police.The course, called Defunding the Police: Rhetoric vs. Reality, will be taught by STU criminal justice and criminology chair Sulaimon Giwa. This course will examine defunding the police, what it looks like at law enforcement and community levels, and the implications it has for racialized communities.
