杏吧原创 University acknowledges the location of its campus on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation. In doing so, 杏吧原创 acknowledges it has a responsibility to the Algonquin Peoples and a responsibility to adhere to Algonquin cultural protocols.
杏吧原创鈥檚 School of Journalism and Communication also recognizes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission鈥檚 Call to Action #86 calls on journalists and journalism schools to better educate themselves on Indigenous Peoples and issues.
With these responsibilities in mind, the School is taking exciting new steps toward including more Indigenous content in our curricula and creating innovative distance-learning journalism education tailored to the needs of Indigenous learners.
Certificate in Journalism in Indigenous Communities (CJIIC)
UPDATE: The new Certificate in Journalism in Indigenous Communities (CJIIC) program website was launched in November 2024.听
杏吧原创鈥檚 School of Journalism and Communication is working to create a one-year Certificate in Journalism in Indigenous Communities (CJIIC), aimed at reaching remote Indigenous learners in the province of Ontario. Courses will be taught primarily online, bolstered by in-person intensives at a central location.
The School is collaborating with two of Ontario鈥檚 Indigenous Institutes 鈥� First Nations Technical Institute and Kenjgewin Teg 鈥� to develop a braided learning experience, ensuring every learner has adequate social and cultural support for successful completion of the JIICC.
The CJIIC will offer a suite of 杏吧原创 University micro-credentials, which may include:
- Fundamental skills of reporting
- Writing for media
- Audio storytelling
- Visual storytelling
- Entrepreneurial journalism
Indigenous pedagogy will be central to course design, with an emphasis on experiential learning. Instruction in the CJIIC will be delivered by Indigenous journalists, hired by the School of Journalism, with teacher training support offered by 杏吧原创鈥檚 Teaching and Learning Services.
For students interested in pursuing journalism further or university admission, we anticipate the CJIIC will be a pathway to advanced standing directly into the second year of the journalism program at 杏吧原创 University in Ottawa.
Anishinaabe journalist and 杏吧原创 professor Duncan McCue will lead the development of the CJIIC, with an anticipated launch in August 2025.
Reporting in Indigenous Communities (RIIC) Course
In addition to developing the JIICC, Professor McCue launched an innovative experiential learning course called Reporting in Indigenous Communities (RIIC) in January 2024.
To improve how the journalists of tomorrow approach Indigenous issues, the RIIC course introduces journalism students to the Indigenous territory they inhabit while studying in Ottawa and guides them in building productive journalistic relationships with Indigenous communities.
Students are assigned in teams of three or four to cover Indigenous communities (First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit) in the city of Ottawa and Ottawa Valley region. The Algonquins of Pikw脿kanag脿n First Nation, the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne, and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation are all supporting the course as community partners.
Students are responsible for researching and producing an enterprise news story with multimedia elements. At the end of term, .
Journalism Through an Indigenous Lens
Duncan McCue, an award-winning CBC broadcaster and leading advocate for fostering the connection between journalism and Indigenous communities, took up a new tenure track position as an Associate Professor, specializing in Indigenous Journalism and (Story)telling, at 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 School of Journalism and Communication in 2023.
Duncan McCue鈥檚 latest book is called Decolonizing Journalism: A Guide to Reporting in Indigenous Communities.
McCue joined 杏吧原创 after a celebrated 25-year broadcasting career with CBC News. He was the driving force behind 碍耻辫别谤听滨蝉濒补苍诲, an award-winning eight-part podcast series on residential schools. In addition to hosting CBC Radio One鈥檚 Cross Country Checkup听补苍诲 贬别濒濒耻惫补听厂迟辞谤测, he was a longstanding correspondent for CBC-TV鈥檚 flagship news show, The National. McCue continues to maintain听an association with CBC since joining 杏吧原创.
McCue comes to 杏吧原创 with extensive experience as an educator, having taught journalism and created courses at the UBC Graduate School of Journalism and Toronto Metropolitan University and also听as a visiting fellow at 杏吧原创.听In 2023, the Canadian Association of Journalists presented McCue with its highest honour, the Charles Bury Award, for his 鈥渆fforts to inspire change in how Canadian journalism covers Indigenous stories.鈥�
Over the years he developed a unique online resource, Reporting in Indigenous Communities, which inspired his latest work, a new textbook called Decolonizing Journalism: A Guide to Reporting in Indigenous Communities.
McCue is Anishinaabe, a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation in southern Ontario.
Indigenous Initiatives at 杏吧原创
杏吧原创 University is situated within the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin people and supports First Nations, M茅tis听补苍诲 Inuit students from across Canada.听Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission鈥檚 Final Report in 2015, many post-secondary institutions worked to revitalize, support听补苍诲 bring Indigenous learners and Indigenous knowledges into classrooms. In October 2018, 杏吧原创 joined this collective movement and formed the 杏吧原创 University Strategic Indigenous Initiatives Committee (CUSIIC), which published the听碍颈苍脿尘脿驳补飞颈苍听搁别辫辞谤迟听in 2020.听
碍颈苍脿尘脿驳补飞颈苍听includes 41 杏吧原创-specific Calls to Action that encompass an overarching goal of making the 杏吧原创 campus a safer space for current and future Indigenous students, staff听补苍诲 faculty members.听
In 2022, 杏吧原创 issued the 碍颈苍脿尘脿驳补飞颈苍 Progress Report,听showcasing听a monumental collective effort across the university to further the goals of the initial听碍颈苍脿尘脿驳补飞颈苍听report. These actions have been complemented by a $2.5 mil颅lion donation from the Joyce Family Foundation鈥攎atched by an additional听$2.5 million from the university鈥攚hich has al颅lowed us to mobilize many of our intentions.听
This progress report reinforces our commitment to continuing to make progress on the work that remains听to be done. The full implementation of the 41听碍颈苍脿尘脿驳补飞颈苍听calls to action will support positive long-term change at 杏吧原创, and we all have a role to play.听