Introduction to Indigenous people's interpretation of landscape and worldview. Learning from knowledge keepers, the course covers culturally significant places, place names, ceremonies, berry picking, medicines, fishing, and hunting.
Introduction to the principles of 'caring for the land' and integrating this ethos into natural resources management, including topics on caretaking for the land, animals, and future generations; sacred places; and the principle of interconnectivity of all living things.
Introduction to working and professionalism in cross-cultural contexts, with a focus on Indigenous governments and the importance of organizational values, cultural practices and protocols, consensus-based decision-making, principles of engagement, conflict resolution and political dynamics.
Introduction to Indigenous People's history, cultures and experiences, and the effect on control over natural resources, drawing from local to international perspectives, with a focus on how decolonization, as an analytical lens, can transform institutions and Indigenous People's everyday lives.
Foundations of governance, with a focus on Indigenous governance in Canada. Topics include traditional governance, self-governance and natural resources governance.
Introduction to Indigenous Knowledge, with a focus on Indigenous and Western Knowledge for managing ecosystems and integrating knowledge.
Introduction to holistic resource stewardship and the interconnectivity of all living things. A holistic resource stewardship approach is taught, and students learn to operationalize a holistic stewardship plan. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 101.
Foundations for understanding community organization and collective action in communities. Introduction to techniques for building capacity among members/citizens. Prerequisite: ILS 102.
Introduction to structure, diversity and development of trees and other plants, drawing from Indigenous and western knowledge systems.
Introduction to different techniques commonly used in field surveys, including assessments of landforms, soils, vegetation patterns and cultural features. Prerequisite: ILS 100.
Foundations of ecology, the interaction of organisms and the environment, drawing from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics include organismal, population, community and ecosystem theories. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 200.
Introduction to digital mapping and spatial analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) for analyzing geographic problems and creating maps.
Foundations of communications and communications tools. Topics include written, verbal, phone, email and social media communications, with special focus on mobilizing knowledge through social media to a general audience.
Foundations of disturbance from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics includes natural (fire, wind, flood, climate) and anthropogenic (logging, dams, mining, climate) disturbances in both intact and altered landscapes. Prerequisite: ILS 201.
Business management in a First Nations context. Topics include strategy, leadership and management, culture, accounting, human resources, regulation and law, natural resources and marketing.
Interventions on the land, drawing from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics covered include problem diagnostics and the design and implementation of holistic interventions. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 200.
Indigenous legal orders, Canada's constitutional framework, treaties and self-governance. Topics also cover the international context, and the implications of the evolving legal context for land management.
Forest and land use planning on traditional territory. Topics include Aboriginal rights and title, clan and family jurisdiction, traditional use studies and mapping and provincial regulations. Prerequisite: ILS 102.
Forest management strategies, including statistical inventory tools and growth and yield models, for producing estimates of forest stand characteristics over specified times. Forest growth models are linked to economic models and forest valuation. Prerequisite: All of ILS 200, ILS 204.
Wildlife conservation and management principles from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics include the nexus between wildlife populations and healthy environments and wildlife habitat and other landscape needs. Prerequisite: ILS 201.
Introduction to analytics for land stewardship. Topics includes basic probability and statistics skills, the limitations and strengths of analysis tools, and interconnections between analytical tools, data and landscape level decision-making.
First Nations business models, including community business enterprises (CBEs), joint ventures and limited partnerships, entrepreneurship and economic development among First Nations. Corequisite: All of ILS 305, ILS 307.
Business management tools to sustain business competitiveness in a First Nations context. The course covers strategic planning, customer and stakeholder management, management information systems, benchmarking and supply chain management. Corequisite: All of ILS 305, ILS 306.
Research terminology, ethics and practice. Drawing from Indigenous and western science approaches, the course covers Indigenous, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches.
Policy theory and practice in the Indigenous land stewardship context. Topics include developing and influencing policy and the drivers of policy change. Prerequisite: ILS 203.
Conflict management focusing on power, rights and interests in Indigenous communities. Topics consensus-based and collaborative approaches.
Stewarding land and forests in practice, drawing from Indigenous and western perspectives. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 200, ILS 300. or admission by permission of the instructor.
Capstone field course to produce a land stewardship plan integrating a diverse range of objectives and goals for a community or industry partner. Prerequisite: ILS 402.