This course should be mandatory for every person going through citizenship (rather than only being offered the white-washed version of Canadian history that the government distributes). And it should be mandatory for every person going through the Canadian schooling system. The combination of history and culture that this course offers is something I've always found missing from all history lessons I've ever received and I'm happy this course so beautifully connected these dots. Well done!

As an immigrant to Canada who was not educated here, I know precious little about its history, especially that of its First Nations people. I was exposed briefly to Inuit artists when I worked a contract with the Inuit Art Foundation a few decades ago which peaked my interest, but had not pursued further knowledge until this opportunity presented itself. This course has helped me in my understanding of the history of my chosen country and is a good basis for further growth. Thank you.

With the discovery of the mass grave in Kamloops and now so many others, I realized I needed to learn more about the history of residential schools. indeed I needed to learn the true history of Canada. I have found the course to be well thought out, sequential and with enough information to give me a much better understanding of the settling of Canada. I know this is just scratching the surface and it is up to me to continue my learning and engagement with Indigenous People. Thank you.

Great Insight and an effective way to learn more. As A Canadian whom grew up on the west coast , it was part of school curriculum to learn about Indigenous struggles, but it never really went further than the fur trade , and colonization. It was especially interesting for me to learn about the justice model of indigeneous peoples as well as the desire for both the british and First nations to establish treaties (preventing american annexation and subsequent mis treatment of Ind peoples.

I am so grateful and humbled for how much this course has taught me. Thank you. I look forward to going deeper into many topics that were introduced to me. But more than that, I am already experiencing life in canada with a different perspective and a much better understanding and empathy. I look forward to all that is before us, confident that we are moving in the right direction. Here's to healing and protection for a world in balance with nature!

In solidarity and love,

Adele Reeves

I am told my father was a survivor of the residential school system. A Cree man from Northern Manitoba. I lost my father a few short weeks after I turned 14 when curiosity of my cultural roots was just beginning to take form. I am taking a journey of education, familiarization and connection to my Indigenous culture and this course has enlightened me, educated me and sparked an intense want to learn more and become connected to not only my culture but my father. For that, I am grateful.

Very well presented. The course is well researched and provides an introduction to Indigenous culture and our shared place here in Canada. The material is easy to follow, building each week to create an understanding of how important today is as we continue to learn and share this great land. I am very happy that I was able to take this course and now feel I have a better understanding as a Canadian of our shared history and shared future. What we do together today is the important work.

This was my first online course offered via coursera. I found the course on Indigenous Canada very enlightening, comprehensive, and honest. It was a nice mixture of facts, expert interviews, and relevant artwork. The course notes were very helpful to follow along as I watched the videos from the instructors. The module quizzes were a fairly stress free way to test your understanding. Thanks to the instructors for taking the time to put together such an important course for all Canadians!

I found this course very helpful in understanding the indigenous people of Canada and their history. It made me examine my perspectives and view history from a different point of view. It helps making sense of some of the news stories and helps me to understand some issues from the past where I was not able to learn both sides of the issue. It would be helpful if all Canadians took this course so everyone could work at reaching the same objective of a united Canada based on the truth.

This course provided me with a much needed Indigenous perspective on the history of Canada. After completing the course, I now completely understand and agree with the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to further educate ‘settlers’ like me on Indigenous history. A suggestion for improvement would be to incorporate more mixed media (e.g. visuals, links, etc.) directly into the lecture. Thank you for your great efforts in creating this very informative course. 

This is a powerful and meaningful course for everyone to develop a better understanding of the experience of indigeneity in Canada. The videos of Tracy Bear and Paul Gareau in conversation with Dan Levy are an essential extension of the course, taking the content beyond the academic foundation established by the course and answering important and socially relevant questions about what it means to be an indigenous person in Canada today and how we as a society can work to become better.

Thank you for offering this course! This is amazing. It is perfect introduction to learning about Indigenous histories; I just wish I had learned this content sooner! I now feel like I have a better understanding of key issues facing Indigenous peoples today setting the groundwork for learning more about Indigenous cultural safety in connection with system-wide shifts to include diversity, equity and inclusion.

The course was well organized and very manageable from a time perspective.

Excellent information and presentation. My only disappointment was that in Section 12 there were no visuals of the art discussed. It's hard to talk about art and not show it. Technical glitch with the artist discussion of the six paintings use in the course, the imbedded YouTube videos would frequently stall briefly. This was rectified by opening them one by one on YouTube.

Thanks for offering this course. I learned so much about Canadian history and the Indigenous People of the lands.

I enjoyed the whole course. Even as a Social studies teacher in Alberta, with access to many resources and in-servicing opportunities on Indigenous studies, there was much to learn in this program. Every Canadian would benefit from completing this course. My favourite module was the last one. I would love to see more on Indigenous culture and art. Thank you to all the presenters and academics who put together these modules. A special thank you to Leah Dorion for the beautiful art work.

An excellent introductory course that I thoroughly enjoyed. I greatly appreciate the multi-media format as I am a mature student doing online learning for the first time. The material covered is diverse and thorough in scope to foster a better understanding of some of the original nations, cultural practices and political history of this country. This format helped me better understand the contemporary issues and has fostered a desire to learn more. Thank-you!. Highly recommend!

Thought provoking.  To recognize the Catch 22 issues of the Indian Act, Residential Schools, Settler ideology – understanding the only way to break the cycle is to recognize things need to change.  Acknowledging both sides need to work together to move forward to address the hurt and oppression caused by colonization and together to guide society in better dialogue in dealing with issues.  Addressing poverty, housing and education is one way and better stewardship for our environment.

It was a very informative program. My hope is that a lot of people take this so they have a better understanding of what the Indigenous people of this country continue to face and live with on a daily basis. The only way this country will ever be healthy as a country is when the original people are recognized as such and it is no longer a matter of one giving or taking from another but all working and deciding to invest as one in equality, fairness and with no self serving motive....

I found this course very informative and educational. I grew up in a community with several small bands near by and even had a few friends who were First Nations and yet it pains me and troubles me that we were not taught even a fraction of the information taught in this one course. Of which even this course only scratches the surface of the great and unfortunately more recently tragic story our First Nation neighbours have to tell us. Thank you to all who helped make this course.

I found this course to be excellent. This is a very large topic, but it was presented so well, providing an excellent overview as well as just the right amount of detail to get a good sense of the topic. Course notes are excellent and are a great resource for further study. The overall delivery was excellent, - the videos, images, art work and interview all made for a very rich learning experience. I learned so much and will use the resources from the course to continue learning.

Eye opening to see how bad the settlers and even non-indigenous people treat our indigenous people today. I believe if more people were taught the history of indigenous peoples in school, we would have a better understanding and would be open-minded and respect the ways of our beautiful indigenous culture. We could learn so much from our indigenous people. I have a whole new respect and understanding. I am truly sorry for the way the indigenous people were and are treated in Canada.

This is the Indigenous History that our Canadian schools should have taught us. I greatly appreciated hearing the Indigenous perspectives on the many historical events that shaped this country. I also enjoyed how the course dove into the current movements, concerns and issues that Indigenous people are still facing. I think many minds would be changed after completing this course with an open mind. I am also proud that this course was offered by my Alma Mater, University of Alberta.

What an incredibly enlightening course. As an American, (Permanent resident) who lives on Vancouver Island in BC, this course has opened my eyes to various aspects of the Indigenous experience that I knew nothing about. I have learned so much! There are few words that I can think of to justly express my gratitude for the Professors who put so much work into this course. Thank you so much for your hard work, and especially your willingness to share about Indigenous people of Canada.

This course gave me a new insight to indigenous people worldwide. Actually makes me embarassed to be of european descent. So much that Canada has not told us. Certainly didn't learn anything in school. Hopefully our children will be exposed to more of what happened here and perhaps will be open to change. Especially loved the fact that it is a matriarchal society. That should be the case around the world. As a male senior citizen , this course has changed my opinion. Thank you!!

Excellent information and presentation. I enjoyed it all and thought it was all very well done. In previous courses I've taken I've found The Blanket Exercise to be very moving and eye opening. I'm not sure how it would be added to an online course but is worth considering as a video perhaps. I've also found a lot of misconceptions around taxation and would suggest it as a topic to add in the future. But overall, very, very well done. Only suggestions to be considered. Thank you.

WOW! This was an amazing course. It opened up my eyes to another chapter in Canada's history that I was not previously exposed to. I feel more well informed about the cultural history that Indigenous and First Nations people had endured. My new understanding for the oppressions that were faced and are still fighting against today has given me empathy but also courage to speak out against wrong doings. This course is powerful in helping understand what being Canadian truly means.