Aboriginal Justice Studies

This course develops students’ interpersonal communication skills through experiential workshops and participatory learning exercises. Special activities will focus on traditional Aboriginal values and the interpersonal respect that stems from living in small communities and extended families – and students will be presented with larger challenges on how to take these values with them into the workplace and criminal and social justice environments.

The Canadian criminal justice system’s structure, levels, and operation will be analyzed. Attention will be paid to the historical development and current role of the police, the correctional system, the judiciary and criminal laws. The factors involved in decisions and practices and the role of discretion will be studied for the entire system, including both statutory and voluntary agencies. Students will also examine the various, and at times competing, goals within the system and analyze current trends in Canadian criminal justice policy, such as restorative justice.

This course will look at policing from a critical perspective. Students will trace the organizational development of the police force from a historical perspective to the roles of police in contemporary society. Particular emphasis will be on Aboriginal policing (based on traditional cultural values and practices) and policing within the larger minority communities in Canada. To do this, students will look at police/minority relations in a cross-national/ cultural context.

This course is designed to give students in the Aboriginal Justice Studies program the lifestyle knowledge and skills to be successful as students and as practicum employees. The course will assist students in making effective career choices given their work attitudes, values, skills, and knowledge; choosing appropriate practicum placement; and developing the job search skills to obtain it.

This course will present an overview of the concepts, themes, and issues encountered in the discipline of criminology (or the study of crime). The course explains the basic concepts of criminology such as crime, deviance, rehabilitation, and the victim, as well as looking more in-depth at critical theories of race, gender, and class. We will examine the development of criminology through classical and modern theories. The relationships between theory and practice are also examined.

Through working under the supervision of a professional in an area of the criminal justice system or social services sector, students will demonstrate professionalism and time management,communication, teamwork, and networking skills. Specific assignments and an evaluation by both the practicum supervisor and the program coordinator will allow the student to demonstrate readiness for employment or further training.

This course focuses on the history, development, and present day operations of the legal system. It covers: constitutional law, administrative law, civil liberties, the court system, the functions of judges and lawyers. It considers the history of Canadian law and the system of the Canadian courts. The course will consider the nature of legal reasoning, the doctrine of precedent, principles of statutory interpretation and will introduce the fields of contract, torts, administrative law, and family law. It also examines the process of law reform in Canada.

This course will critically examine the history, development, and contemporary social organization of correctional institutions, including experiences of prisoners, victims, families, communities, and administrators. The overrepresentation of Aboriginals in the correctional system will discussed from a historical and contemporary perspective. Students will also survey community-based and restorative alternatives, institutional, educational, and Aboriginal programs, as well as issues of parole, prison education, and re-entry into the community.

This course uses the tools of criminology to examine crime and deviance in North America and community responses to this behaviour. Students examine various theories explaining the nature and patterns of Aboriginal crime and delinquency. A critical examination of the First Nations experience with the criminal justice system is included. Innovative First Nations’ justice programs are examined and international comparisons of justice services for indigenous people are discussed.

This course introduces students to the conventions of academic writing. In this class, students will learn to identify the elements of sound writing in written passages, and to compare and contrast oral, written and culturally specific forms of communication. The student is invited to explore, step-by-step, each element of good writing by reviewing and practicing prewriting techniques and proceeding to grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs and complete essays and reports.

This course examines the political and social realities of being an Aboriginal person in Canada today. Students will study the history and culture of First Nations peoples through anthropology, political science, history, sociology, and legal studies. Issues of law, social policy, land claims, and racism will be discussed. Where possible, the course draws on First Nations’ writings and contrasts First Nations and non-First Nations perspectives. The course prepares students to be active participants in the processes of cultural revitalization, political reorganization, and social change.