Why study Indigenous Knowledges: iʔ sqilxʷ aʔ cmiy̓ t smypnwíłnsəlx at UBC Okanagan?
The Indigenous Knowledges theme encourages students to maintain connections with their home communities while building new connections within the program.
There are two options in the master’s program. Students can undertake work resulting in a standard thesis (worth 12 of 30 credits), or a professional practice-based research capstone project (6 of 30 credits). Both program options build research skills, with a different weighting on the final research work. Either option allows a low residency pathway combining online learning and intensive summer programming.
The PhD program is a standard research-intensive one culminating in a doctoral dissertation based on original research.
The MA interdisciplinary degree in Indigenous Knowledges draws upon a well-established network of researchers as the foundation for this program. Graduate students have access to the expertise of diverse, nationally and internationally recognized researchers from a variety of faculties and disciplines in a coherent, thematic framework.
Program milestones
Establishing a faculty supervisory committee
Completing coursework
Preparing, presenting and defending a thesis research proposal
Completing thesis research and writing, and defending the work
Coursework requirements
Thesis Option: 18 credits of coursework are required, including:
Proseminar in Interdisciplinary Studies (IGS 524)
Theme Seminar in Indigenous Knowledge (IGS 582)
Research methods course in Indigenous Methods (IGS 503)
Additional coursework, selected in consultation with the student’s supervisor (9 credits)
Capstone Option: a 6 credit Capstone project plus 24 credits of coursework required, including:
Proseminar in Interdisciplinary Studies (IGS 524)
Theme Seminar in Indigenous Knowledge (IGS 582)
Research methods course in Indigenous Methods (IGS 503)
Additional coursework, selected in consultation with the student’s supervisor (15 credits)
The PhD degree is centered on participating faculty and students convening on a regular basis to share ideas, learn about each other’s work, identify opportunities for collaboration, and broaden their interdisciplinary expertise. Faculty scholars all have experience with Indigenous Knowledges, and are committed to the interdisciplinary nature of the program.
Program milestones
Establishing a faculty supervisory committee
Selecting and completing coursework
Preparing, presenting and defending a dissertation research proposal
Passing an oral candidacy exam
Completing dissertation research and writing, and defending the work.
COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS
12 credits are required for the PhD degree, including:
Proseminar in Interdisciplinary Studies (IGS 524)
Theme Seminar in Indigenous Knowledge (IGS 582)
Research methods course: Indigenous Methods (IGS 503)
Additional coursework, selected in consultation with the student’s supervisor (3 credits)
Research Interests: My research interests are extended family pedagogies informed by traditional Indigenous knowledge: particularly a Syilx children-centred model informed by capti̓kʷɬ stories to transform schools to be more appreciative and sustaining of place-based relationships and cultural and ecological diversity.
Mike Evans | Professor | Anthropology, Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Indigenous Knowledges | michael.evans@ubc.ca | LM4 634
Research Interests: Urban Aboriginal issues; Métis history and contemporary issues; Tonga, trans-national migration and globalization; regional food systems; Indigenous methodologies; participatory action research; community based research; and Island studies
Courses & Teaching: Globalization and Indigenous peoples
Research Interests: Qualitative, Mixed-Methods, Community-Engaged, and Decolonizing Research Methodologies; Applied research in First Nations Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) mental health, healing, and well-being; Oral First Nations Language Documentation and Revitalization; Intervention evaluation research in trauma repair and addictions reduction.
Courses & Teaching: Indigenous Research Methodologies; Residential Schools and Reconciliation; Indigenous Research Methods.
Research Interests: Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS); Microfluidics; Microfabrication
Courses & Teaching: ENGR 353 Semiconductor Devices; APSC 179 Linear Algebra for Engineers
Judy Gillespie | Director | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Indigenous Knowledges, Social Work | judy.gillespie@ubc.ca | 250-807-8745
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Child welfare and the role of community in child and family well-being;
Mutli-sector collaboration to enhance Indigenous well-being;
Interprofessional expertise for child welfare practice;
The role of place in well-being;
The role of attachment to place in professional retention;
Place-based practice.
Courses & Teaching: The role of community in the promotion of child welfare
Sustainable community development
Interactions of people and place; the role of place in well-being
Expertise for interprofessional child welfare practice
University-community collaboration
Monica Carolina Good, PhD | Associate Professor of Teaching | Global Studies, Indigenous Knowledges, Languages and World Literatures, Spanish | monica.good@ubc.ca | 250.807.8503 | CCS 367
Research Interests: Spanish Culture and Literature; Indigenous literature; Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization (specifically for the case of Mexico); Indigenous peoples rights to court interpretation (Case of Oaxaca).
Allison Hargreaves, PhD | Associate Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, English, English and Cultural Studies, Global Studies, Indigenous Knowledges | allison.hargreaves@ubc.ca | 250.807.8446 | CCS 331
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Indigenous literatures and theory; critical settler colonial studies; place-based approaches to literary and cultural studies; decolonization and reconciliation as discourse and material practice.
Courses & Teaching: ENGL 154 – Indigenous Narrative; ENGL 234/ CULT 250 – Foundations: Indigenous Literature; ENGL 385/ CULT 351 – Settler Studies, Literature, and Culture; ENGL 473/ CULT 450 –Studies in Indigenous Literature and Criticism
ENGL 531A – Place and Power
Rachelle Hole | Professor | Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship (CIIC), Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Faculty of Health and Social Development, Indigenous Knowledges, Social Work | rachelle.hole@ubc.ca | 250-807-8741 | ARTS 368
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Rachelle’s research programme is informed by two complementary streams: 1) a substantial focus on the socio-cultural practices that promote social inclusion and equity, and 2) a methodological focus on community based participatory research methods. Critical disability studies is central to the first stream informing Rachelle’s research in the area of community living and intellectual disability.
Gabrielle Legault | Assistant Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Indigenous Knowledges, Indigenous Studies | gabrielle.legault@ubc.ca | 250.807.8867 | LM4 628
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Métis in British Columbia; Métis history, identity and nationalism; Indigenous Identity and Representation; Place Identity; Decolonization; Inter-Indigenous Relations and Treaties; Critical Indigenous Studies; Indigenous geographies.
Courses & Teaching: Introduction to Decolonization; Métis People and Perspectives; Indigenous Studies Theory and Methodology; Indigenous Culture, Heritage, and Intellectual Property.
John Lyon | Assistant Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Indigenous Knowledges, Nsyilxcn Language Fluency (BNLF) | john.lyon@ubc.ca | 250.807.8215 | ART 368B
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Interior Salish Languages; Language Documentation and Revitalization; Salish Linguistics
Courses & Teaching: Nsyilxcn Fluency Program courses; Interior Salish linguistics
Virginie Magnat, PhD | Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, English and Cultural Studies, Global Studies, Indigenous Knowledges, Languages and World Literatures | virginie.magnat@ubc.ca | 250.807.8441 | CCS 368
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Performance Studies; Qualitative Research; Arts-Based Inquiry; Indigenous Ethico-Onto-Epistemologies; Collaborative Eco-Cultural Practices for Collective Healing and Renewal; Occitan Language Revitalization and Cultural Resurgence.
Courses & Teaching: Performance Studies; Qualitative Research; World Performance Traditions; Experimental and Intercultural Theatre; Physically-Based Performance Practice; Body-Voice Integration; Traditional Singing.
Astrida Neimanis, PhD | Associate Professor | English and Cultural Studies, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, Indigenous Knowledges, Sustainability (IGS) | astrida.neimanis@ubc.ca | 250.807.9185 | CCS 370
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Feminist studies (with a focus on embodiment, ecofeminisms, material feminisms and intersectionality), environmental studies (with a focus on cultural studies of water, weather and climate change, and multispecies justice), everyday militarisms, interdisciplinarity, epistemologies and non-traditional research methodologies.
Elena Nicoladis | Department Head, Professor | Digital Arts and Humanities, Indigenous Knowledges, Psychology | elena.nicoladis@ubc.ca | 250.807.8461 | ART 322
Research Interests: Bilingual first language learning; second language learning; gestures
Colin Osmond | Assistant Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, History, Indigenous Knowledges | colin.osmond@ubc.ca | 250.807.8862 | ART 269
Research Interests: Indigenous History; Community-Engaged History; Settler Colonialism; Ethnohistory; Environmental History; Labour History; Public History
Courses & Teaching: HIST 300: History of Indigenous Peoples of Canada to 1876; HIST 301: History of Indigenous Peoples of Canada Since 1876; HIST 383A: Canadian Settler Colonialism
Katrina Plamondon, PhD | Associate Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Faculty of Health and Social Development, Indigenous Knowledges, School of Nursing | katrina.plamondon@ubc.ca | 250-807-8681
Research Interests: Connecting knowledge with action for health equity; global health; knowledge translation science; critical pedagogy; methods for relational, responsive research; dialogue-based research; arts-informed research; transformational research
Courses & Teaching: KTEA Knowledge to Equity Action Professional Development Course (Winter 2024)
NURS 4429 Advanced Global Health Practice (Fall 2023)
HEAL 307 (Winter 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
CCGHR Knowledge Translation Summer Course (Summer 2020, 2021)
Research Interests: Indigenous Survivance; Decolonization; Indigenous ways of knowing and being; Ojibwe knowledge; Indigenous Gender Identities and settler colonization.
Christine Schreyer | Associate Professor | Anthropology, Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Digital Arts and Humanities, Indigenous Knowledges | christine.schreyer@ubc.ca | 250.807.9314 | ART 368C
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Linguistic anthropology; First Nations language and culture; land claims and Aboriginal Title; ethnolinguistics, ethnohistory, social memory, oral history, landscape, and traditional land use studies; works with First Nations communities on language issues such as language maintenance and revitalization of endangered languages
Courses & Teaching: Linguistic anthropology; language documentation and revitalization
Onyx Sloan Morgan | Assistant Professor | Community, Culture and Global Studies, Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Indigenous Knowledges, Sustainability (IGS) | onyx.sloanmorgan@ubc.ca | ART 252
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Critical human geography; resource extraction; queer geographies; settler colonialism; youth-led research and social movements; modern treaties
Courses & Teaching: GEOG 217: Geographies of BC; GEOG 358: Gender, Place & Culture; GEOG 460: Critical Geographies of the Anthropocene; GEOG/GWST 426: Queer Geographies; IGS 550: Voice, Justice, Change
Emily Snyder | Associate Professor | Indigenous Knowledges, Power, Conflict and Ideas, Sociology | emily.snyder@ubc.ca | ART 315
Research Interests: Socio-legal studies; social inequalities; gender, sexuality, and law; HIV criminalization; Indigenous laws and legal issues; connections between health and law.
Courses & Teaching: Fundamentals of Sociological Research; Sexuality, Law, and Society; Social Inequality; Feminist Theory
Margo Tamez | Associate Professor | Indigenous Knowledges, Indigenous Studies | margo.tamez@ubc.ca | 250.807.9837 | ART 250
Research Interests: Ndé consciousness of time, place, and homeland; Indigenous women’s consciousness of land-based relations in Kónitsąąíí gokíyaa (Lipan Apache country); Indigenous consciousness along the Río Grande River; Indigenous Peoples & Human Rights; Borders; Militarization; Memory; Indigenous decolonial concepts; Self-Determination; Transitional Justice; the Poetics of Indigenous Movements.
Courses & Teaching: Indigenous perspectives of history, colonization and decolonization; Indigenous decolonial thought on governance and self-determination; Indigenous women’s consciousness and activism; Indigenous poetics of resistance and transformation
Research Interests: Structural engineering; tall buildings; seismic design of precast concrete; disaster resilient buildings; reinforced concrete buildings
Courses & Teaching: ENGR 414 / APSC514 Precast Concrete Structures
APSC 261 Theory of structures
Shannon Ward | Assistant Professor | Anthropology, Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Global Studies, Indigenous Knowledges | shannon.ward@ubc.ca | 250.807.8695 | ART 270
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Linguistic Anthropology; language acquisition and socialization; language shift; language endangerment; heritage language education; language documentation; oral history; Tibet and the Himalayas; modern China; South Asian diasporas; migration
Courses & Teaching: Linguistic Anthropology; multilingualism; language documentation and revitalization.
Tania Willard, MFA | Associate Professor | Creative Studies, Digital Arts and Humanities, Indigenous Knowledges, Visual Arts | tania.willard@ubc.ca | 250.299.5835 | CCS 366
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Visual Arts, Curatorial praxis, Indigenous contemporary art, land-based art, Indigenous resurgence, relational aesthetics, socially engaged practice, BIPOC and diversity and equity practices in contemporary art.
Courses & Teaching: Visual Strategies and Research, Indigenous Land-based Art, Contemporary Indigenous Art, Indigenous Art Intensive
Shawn Wilson | Associate Professor | Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Indigenous Knowledges, Indigenous Studies, Power, Conflict and Ideas | shawn.wilson@ubc.ca | 250.807.8015 | LM4 629
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Indigenist Methodologies; Social-Emotional Wellbeing; Culture and Health
The Indigenous Knowledges theme cares about the experiential learning and well-being of our students, and about fostering their academic and research excellence. Indigenous philosophies provide us with ways of engaging with our world that promote holistic wellbeing. The Indigenous Knowledges theme encourages students to maintain connections with their home communities while building new connections within the program. View our list of students and alumni profiles for you to discover more about them and their research.
Connect with your peers
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) cares about the experiential learning and well-being of our students, and about fostering their academic and research excellence. Follow our Faculty Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date on events and connect with our community on campus and beyond.
Theses and Dissertations
Find all UBC Okanagan student publications on the University’s digital repository for research and teaching materials. EXPLORE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
Careers and Outcomes
Students graduating from the program will gain:
The analytical skills required for employment in non-governmental organizations, as well as the private and public sectors.
The conceptual, methodological, and research skills required to advance to the PhD or Post-Doctorate level for those pursuing an academic career.
Graduate student stipends are funded through a combination of internal and external funding awards, Teaching Assistantships, and Research Assistantships.
Although funding and stipend amounts are not guaranteed, UBC’s Okanagan campus has a number of assistantships available for qualified students. Talk to your potential supervisor about funding opportunities.
Students are expected whenever possible to apply for relevant scholarships and fellowships.
GRADUATE ENTRANCE AWARD
The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences offers a $15,000 merit-based entrance scholarship to three exceptional individuals entering their first year of thesis-based graduate studies under a supervisor from the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, or an Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies program with a supervisor who is a member of the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.
All applicants to Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences graduate programs who have submitted an application by January 31 will be automatically considered for the award. No additional application is required. Successful applicants will be notified by March 15.
Assistantships
Teaching Assistantships (TA)
Paid TA positions allow graduate students to develop skills in teaching, supervision, facilitation, and student assessment. Teaching assistants may lead seminars, help teach undergraduate courses, or assist in student evaluations and marking. Teaching assistants are mentored by their supervisor and via the Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Research Assistantships (RA)
As paid research assistants, graduate students assist their supervisor or other researchers in conducting high-level research, which often contributes to the student’s thesis. RAs are typically funded by the supervisor’s external grants, contracts, and sometimes, other sources of funding.
SCHOLARSHIPS
UBC Awards
The College of Graduate Studies administers merit-based graduate awards at the Okanagan campus. The College manages a number of award competitions each year and administers payment of all internal awards and selected external awards.
External Awards
All prospective graduate students (Domestic and International) should explore and apply for external awards and fellowships, including awards offered by Canada’s three research councils: CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.
Graduate scholarships and awards may also be available from foundations, private companies or foreign governments (check with your country’s education authority).
Admission and Applying
Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisors before starting their application. Admission to the program requires the support of a faculty supervisor, as well as meeting program-specific criteria for admission requirements.
Admission Requirements
A complete application package will contain:
Online application and application fee
Unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended are required for the application package, however, if admitted, students are required to submit official transcripts to the College of Graduate Studies.
English language test (for non-native speakers of English)
CV or resumé
Two letters of reference (applicants may submit the online application form at any time during the call for applications – doing so triggers the invitation to referees – and continue to upload supporting documents until the deadline.)
Please provide one example of your scholarly writing, such as a term paper or a substantial scholarly paper AND/OR submit electronic portfolio of artistic work (3-5 samples of artistic production and/or links to digital work).
How to Apply
Applying takes time. Students are advised to start the application process two months in advance of the application deadline.
For full consideration, students should submit all application materials by the following deadlines:
Intake
Application Deadline
Domestic applicants
September
January 15
International applicants
September
January 15
Applicants who wish to enter the program in the second semester of the academic year or in the summer semester should consult with the theme coordinator to determine if accommodation is possible.
At UBC Okanagan, you gain all the benefits of attending a globally ranked, top 5%
university while studying in a close-knit learning community. 50% of graduates,
from all across the globe, choose to stay in the region.
A diverse natural region with sandy beaches, beautiful farms, vineyards,
orchards and
snow-capped mountains, the
Okanagan is an inspirational landscape perfect for those seeking leisure or
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adventure.
UBC's Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic
development with a population of
more than 150,000 people— the fourth fastest-growing population in
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