Academic Foundations (Indigenous Studies)
Overview
Looking for an education that centres Indigenous culture, research and knowledge? The Certificate in Academic Foundations – Indigenous Studies is designed to deepen your understanding of and relationships with Indigenous communities.
Engage with the histories of Indigenous peoples and territories while you learn about contemporary contexts. Develop academic skills in a learning community that honours traditional knowledge. This program welcomes all Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
A great starting point for your education
Courses in this one-year program cover a wide range of subjects, including Indigenous Cultures in B.C., Transforming Legislation and Policies, Global Indigenous Histories, Academic Writing and more. This certificate is a great starting point for your education and is designed for maximum transferability to programs at Douglas College or other institutions. Many of these courses can be used as electives for other programs at Douglas.
Develop important skills
This program develops your active learning and critical-thinking skills, competencies that are crucial to success in your future career or further education. Reciprocal learning is emphasized through community connection, Indigenous worldviews, intergenerational learning and more.
Admissions Requirements
Overview:
The Certificate in Academic Foundations enables students to explore the Arts and Sciences by enrolling in courses in a wide range of disciplines. The program allows flexibility for students to explore their interests and is designed to transfer maximum credits into degree programs at Douglas College or other institutions.
Students who complete the Certificate in Academic Foundations with at least 15 credits taken from approved courses with Indigenous content will complete the Certificate in Academic Foundations (Indigenous Studies).
All courses must be University Transferable. A University Transferable course is a course that transfers to one of the five Research Universities - SFU, UBCV/UBCO, UNBC, UVIC - according to the BC Transfer Guide.
Admission Requirements:
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
- General College Admission Requirements
- Note that some courses in Math, Statistics, or Lab Sciences have high school prerequisites, therefore, it is strongly recommended that you check each individual course prerequisite and ensure you have completed requirements prior to registration
- For further information about courses with Indigenous content, and particularly for courses that have a designated section with Indigenous content, it is strongly recommended that you consult with the Indigenous Certificate in Academic Foundations (CAF) Advisor
Cost
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Program Requirements
Graduation Requirements For Students Completing By Summer 2023:
- Successful completion of 30 credits
- A minimum of 50% (15 credits) of the required program courses must be approved courses with Indigenous content as listed below
- A minimum of 50% (15 credits) of the required program courses must be taken at Douglas College
- Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: four (4) years
Graduation Requirements For Students Completing After Summer 2023:
- Successful completion of 30 credits
- A minimum of 50% (15 credits) of the required program courses must be approved courses with Indigenous content as listed below
- A minimum of 50% (15 credits) of the required program courses must be taken at Douglas College
- Graduate in Good Academic Standing (Cumulative GPA of 1.50 – See Academic Performance Policy)
- Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: four (4) years
The following are the general requirements for a Certificate in Academic Foundations:
- 3 credits selected from any university transferable ENGL course. (CMNS or CRWR can be used if the course transfers as an English course to one of UBCV/UBCO, SFU, UNBC, or UVIC)
- 3 credits selected from any university transferable Mathematics, Statistics (MATH 1160, PSYC 2300, BUSN 2429, etc.), Computing Science & Information Systems (CMPT) or Computing Studies & Information Systems (CSIS) course
- 3 credits selected from any university transferable lab science course (BIOL, CHEM, PHYS, GEOG, GEOL, SCIE)
- 12-21 credits selected from any university transferable courses in the Arts and/or Sciences
- 0-9 credits optional electives selected from any university transferable course outside Arts and Sciences
Courses with Indigenous Content:
- Choose a minimum of 5 courses (15 credits) from the following list of courses with Indigenous content:
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
| ANTH 1120* | Indigenous Cultures of British Columbia | 3.00 |
| ANTH 1160* | Indigenous Cultures of Canada | 3.00 |
| ASTR 1105 (dedicated section)** | Introduction to Astronomy | 3.00 |
| CFCS 1112*** | Working in Communities | 3.00 |
| CYCC 1142*** | Introduction to Aboriginal Child and Youth Care Practice | 3.00 |
| CYCC 2212*** | Aboriginal Children, Youth and Families: Transforming Legislation and Policies | 3.00 |
| CYCC 2332*** | Strengthening the Family Spirit - Working from Aboriginal Perspectives with Elders' Teachings | 3.00 |
| ENGL 1102**** (dedicated section) | Reading, Literature and Culture | 3.00 |
| ENGL 1130 (dedicated section)**** | Academic Writing | 3.00 |
| HIST 1170* | Global Indigenous Histories | 3.00 |
* Fulfills some of the Arts and Science requirements
** Fulfills the Lab Science requirement
*** Fulfills some of the non-Arts and Science optional electives
**** Fulfills the English requirement
Program Guidelines
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.