Abstract

My master’s thesis project contributes a collaborative and critical understanding of Concordia University’s Department of Journalism’s obligation to amend their journalism curriculum to be in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action number 86, which states:

We call upon Canadian journalism programs and media schools to require education for all students on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations (“We Are All Treaty People” 198).

Using a research-creation methodology to investigate the particulars of this imperative, I developed a speculative course syllabus that corresponds to the TRC Call to Action number 86. I conclude by arguing that Concordia University’s efforts towards advancing reconciliation are incomplete without adopting a paradigmatic shift to the undergraduate journalism curriculum where students are offered equal access to education on the topic of Indigenous Journalism and to critiques of how newsroom practices, journalistic ethics, and media representations contribute to power inequalities.