Courses

Working With Existing Indigenous Language Documentation

Examines planning strategies, protocols and methods for working with existing documentation to support language reclamation and revitalization. Topics include: engaging with existing documentation; organizing and archiving documentation; creating accessible resources from documentation (digital and printed); strategies for community involvement; project planning; protocols; ethical and intellectual property issues.

Building Community Relationships

This course provides a safe place to undertake conversations, create new knowledge and develop workable strategies to contribute to that good society. The course is designed to provide you with new tools and perspectives for inquiry, and practical understanding so that you can work effectively within a rapidly changing world.

Caring for Museum Collections

This course provides an introduction to preventive conservation. During the 14 weeks of this course, we focus on identifying and quantifying the environmental factors or agents of deterioration that affect collections, and on developing strategies that mitigate those factors.

Collections Management

Central to the museum’s existence—from nature preserve to anthropology museum, contemporary art gallery to historical site—is the collection and use of objects and specimens: the material evidence of humans and their environment.

Communicating Through Exhibitions

The course is all about developing our practice in creating exhibitions that connect and communicate to their audiences effectively. As a foundation, we will analyze what makes certain exhibitions successful and how to look at exhibitions with a critical eye.

Community Engagement and Social Change

Museums and other cultural heritage organizations have the capacity to serve as dynamic social spaces for community engagement and action. This graduate course explores the profound social changes that are reshaping the nature and purposes of museums in a pluralistic society and considers the implications for all aspects of their specialized functions.

Cultural Landscapes

This course focuses on the complex nature of cultural landscapes and develops your ability to identify, evaluate and develop conservation strategies for landscape resources that are integral to your community.

Cultural Tourism: a Place-based Approach

This course explores how to make the most of the fast-growing and lucrative market for cultural tourism. Special emphasis is placed on the theory and practice of place-based cultural tourism in the context of destination planning.

Curatorial Planning and Practice

This course is designed to familiarize students with both the theory and practice of curating in art, history, anthropology, science and interdisciplinary museums. The first five weeks will focus on theory, history and ethics. Through reading, analysis and online discussion, students will explore and debate the evolving definitions of what is involved in curating. The remainder of the course will focus on practice.

Curatorship: Contemporary Perspectives

Curatorship: Contemporary Perspectives reflects our growing understanding of the important relationships that exist between museums and their constituents. Museums and other public exhibition sites of all disciplines, sizes and settings are not only mirrors of society but also play influential roles.

Digital Planning for the Cultural Sector

Digital Planning for the Cultural Sector provides just-in-time training for professionals in the museum, heritage and cultural sector to develop the critical competencies and skills needed to make informed decisions around the future of digital technologies for cultural organizations.

Documentation and Recording for Indigenous Language Reclamation

This course is an examination of planning strategies, protocols and methods of data collection, analysis and organization appropriate for field activities associated with language preservation and revitalization.

Dynamics of Indigenous Language Shift

This course introduces the human dynamics—and political and social factors—associated with Indigenous language shift and language loss, including the profound psychological, intellectual and spiritual effects on individuals, families, communities and cultures.

Exhibit Fabrication

Using a combination of lecture and hands-on time, this 6 day intensive course takes a practical look at the main aspects of exhibit production and installation. This course will provide museum professionals with the tools needed to create or update exhibition spaces, keeping in mind the tight resources and timelines faced by most cultural institutions today.

Exhibit Fabrication Workshop

This course will provide museum professionals with the tools needed to create or update exhibition spaces, keeping in mind the tight resources and timelines faced by most cultural institutions today.

Exhibition Planning and Design

This intensive course examines the entire exhibition planning sequence: creating interpretive exhibitions that encourage museum visitors’ understanding, participation and emotional engagement.

Facilitating Intercultural Relationships

In this course, students will develop a range of interpersonal and organizational skills that build positive intercultural relationships and strengthen communication.

Final Project in Intercultural Studies and Practice

The final project will give students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of both theory and practice in the area of intercultural studies and practice The final project will normally commence at the end, or towards the end, of the studen

Governance and Leadership for Cultural Organizations

This three-day course will focus on the roles and responsibilities of boards, staff and volunteers who govern and lead non-profit organizations both large and small.

Heritage Area Conservation: Revitalization Visions and Realities

Topics in the conservation and rehabilitation of historic urban and rural areas. The historical, aesthetic, economic, social and legal aspects of heritage area planning are considered.

Heritage Conservation in Context

This course introduces students to the fundamental and interrelated dynamics of place, ritual, memory and history as these apply to heritage conservation.

Heritage Conservation Planning

This course provides an overview of heritage planning, the field within heritage conservation that addresses interventions to historic places in the context of urban (and rural) planning and development. The objective of heritage planning is to manage change wisely.

Heritage Resource Management

This course provides an introduction to the principles and practices of heritage conservation. The concept of heritage has expanded to encompass historic districts, cultural landscapes and living heritage as well as buildings, structures and gardens.

Indigenous Cultural Stewardship

Develop an understanding of the historical relationship between the museum/heritage sector and Indigenous communities, and develop foundational knowledge and skills to support the preservation and stewardship of Indigenous tangible and intangible culture and heritage.

Indigenous Language I

Teaching and learning of an Indigenous language at the first-year level. May be taken more than once for credit with permission of the academic advisor of the Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization.

Indigenous Language II

Teaching and learning of an Indigenous language at the second-year level. May be taken more than once for credit with permission of the academic advisor of the Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization.

Indigenous Language III

Teaching and learning of an Indigenous language at the third-year level. May be taken more than once for credit with permission of the academic advisor of the Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization.

Indigenous Language IV

Teaching and learning of an Indigenous language at the fourth-year level. May be taken more than once for credit with permission of the academic advisor of the Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization.

Indigenous Language Materials Development

This course examines the preparation and evaluation of curriculum and classroom materials for teaching Indigenous languages.

Indigenous Language Mentorship I

A 100-hour mentorship with a fluent speaker (or speakers) to build oral fluency in an Indigenous language at the introductory level.

Indigenous Language Mentorship II

A 100-hour mentorship with a fluent speaker or speakers to build oral fluency in an Indigenous language at the second-year level.

Indigenous Language Mentorship III

A 100-hour mentorship with a fluent speaker or speakers to build oral fluency in an Indigenous language at the third-year level.

Indigenous Language Mentorship IV

A 100-hour mentorship with a fluent speaker or speakers to build oral fluency in an Indigenous language at the fourth-year level.

Indigenous Language Revitalization Practicum

A 70- or 140-hour work-study under the mentorship of an Elder or fluent speaker to develop understanding of local language preservation and revitalization issues and strategies.

Introduction to Indigenous Languages of British Columbia

In this course, you’ll examine the Indigenous languages of British Columbia, focusing on unique features. Also considered are techniques for language study from written materials and with Elders, and the revitalization of local languages.

Introductory Linguistics for Language Revitalization

This course introduces topics in the study of language and linguistics, providing a foundation for understanding language revitalization.

Issues in Cross-Cultural Communication

Explores how "we" view ourselves and others, as well as how others view us, enabling students to develop understanding of principles and problems involved in entering into communication with individuals from different backgrounds.

Issues, Principles and Best Practices in Language Revitalization

This course introduces contemporary issues, principles and practice models in the revival, maintenance and revitalization of Indigenous languages in Canada and around the world.

Language and Land

Introduces and explores the links between Indigenous languages and land. This is a class that considers the WSÁNEĆ particular relationships to the place they come from.

Language and Society

A study of language in its social context, covering aspects of linguistic variation within and across speech communities.

Language in Indigenous Culture

An intensive examination of the ways in which language is embedded in the cultural heritage and social context of a selected community.

Language Learning, Language Revitalization and Social Action

In this course, you’ll examine formal and informal approaches to language teaching and learning in Indigenous community settings.

Managing Archival Collections

Many museums hold archival materials—including documents, maps, photographs and other documentary evidence—that require specialized care and management.

Managing Cultural Organizations

This course provides participants with an opportunity for intensive study of the application of management theory and practice in cultural organizations.

Museum Principles and Practices I

This course covers the foundations of museum practice and goes on to explore the various ways in which museums create and preserve knowledge through their curatorial and collections management functions.

Museum Principles and Practices II

By balancing theory and practice, this course provides a foundation for your work in museums and challenges you to develop your professional philosophy, to think critically, and to recognize both the constant and the changing factors that shape museum work.

Museums as Learning Environments

we will discuss and debate theories of education and learning in general and as applicable to art and cultural institutions, learn about diverse nonformal education activities and philosophies and informal learning strategies, and explore the historical and contemporary pedagogical challenges these institutions face as learning environments in a troubled world.

Practicum in Cultural Resource Management

Application of cultural resource management theories to field-based practice through placement with an organization.

Practicum in Cultural Resource Management

Application of cultural resource management theories to field-based practice through placement with an organization.

Practicum in Intercultural Studies and Practice

The practicum provides a unique opportunity for Intercultural Studies and Practice students to integrate theory with practice in an intercultural setting.

Public Programming

In this course, you will examine the critical role of interpretation and public programming in helping museums and heritage organizations engage their communities in meaningful and long-term ways. You’ll explore how organizations can create memorable learning experiences for visitors by understanding their needs, motivations, learning preferences, and contextual influences.

Race, Gender and Power

An exploration of feminist and non-feminist theories of race, racism and racialization in relation to other sources of structured social inequality. Approaches will include political, economic, cultural and psychoanalytic theories.

Race, Racism, and Ethnicity in Canada Since 1900

This course surveys the place and meanings of race and ethnicity in Canada since 1900.

Race, Racism, and Ethnicity in Canada to 1900

This course explores the development of racial discourses from the colonial settings of New France and the British Empire in Northern North America to the end of the first period of mass-immigration at the turn of the 20th century.

Racialization and Ethnicity

Using mainly Canadian examples, this course examines theories and research on racialization, racism and ethnic identities with special emphasis on their relationship to social inequalities.

Recognizing the Significance of Heritage Resources

This course guides you through the process of determining significance of heritage resources, mainly historic places. It guides you through methods to identify values that are associated with historic places and synthesize them into an argument of significance in other words the reason to preserve them.