2500 words double spaced (not including cover page or bibliography)

Thesis Statement and Topic: Given that at its core Indigenous studies is concerned with the studying of local Indigenous and settler-colonial relationships to place, this assignment requires you to identify a local issue for the topic of your paper. In introducing your topic, you should identify the who, what, when, where, and why of your topic. In addition, you must provide a tentative thesis statement (an argument that will give your paper direction)

Bibliography: A bibliography is a critical research skill to learn. Learning to evaluate sources is critical for putting together and organizing ideas. You will need 2 peer reviewed sources (one course source and one source from outside of the course); and 2 primary sources (newspapers, government documents or websites, archival materials, photographs, audio recordings and podcasts, oral history recordings, news media). For each source, you are required to provide a proper citation using APA citation style.

Essay Topics (Choose 1)

1) How can we see the impacts and outcomes of Canada’s educational policies – residential schools, chronic underfunding of Indigenous education, and the theft of territories – in the lives of Indigenous peoples and Canadians?  How can this be tangibly seen in the ongoing violence and privilege throughout Canadian society?

2) What are two pressing social, political and/or economical issues that stand in the way of reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and Canada? (examples: Violence against Indigenous women and girls, the Indian Act, Indigenous language loss, etc). How would reconciling these issues create a better Canada for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples for the future?

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