Professor gets go-ahead to teach course
A non-aboriginal history professor has been given the green light to teach a residential schools course at Mount Saint Vincent University, despite objections from some who say the course should be the purview of Indigenous academics.
The Halifax school says a meeting was held Tuesday at the request of Dr. Martha Walls, who developed the course.
The discussion included history department leaders, faculty, school administration and the senior adviser to the president on Aboriginal affairs.
“Dr. Walls has the support of Indigenous and non-indigenous faculty and administration at the Mount to teach the course regarding residential schools,” the university said in a statement after the meeting.
“Indigenous faculty and staff at the Mount believe that true allies committed to honest reconciliation — like Dr. Walls — must be engaged in sharing knowledge of First Nations/canadian history in order to reach all those in education who should be reached with this important information.”
The Mount said there was a thoughtful discussion Tuesday over concerns raised on social media.
Last week, critics said the decision to assign a “settler scholar” to teach the course was a kind of historical appropriation and reinforcement of the systemic oppression of First Nations.
“Consistent with her usual practice, and as was originally planned, Dr. Walls’ curriculum will prioritize first voices, Indigenous narratives, firsthand accounts and primary sources,” said the statement.
“This is an approach that is consistent with academic inquiry that often reaches beyond one’s own community or identity.”
The statement called truth and reconciliation a partnership and said it requires “complex and sometimes challenging discussions.”
“Critique, discussion, and reflection are at the heart of academic inquiry and are foundational to research and teaching. In keeping with our commitment to academic freedom, today’s meeting represents our responsibility as an academic institution to take up difficult questions.”