Fish drying on wooden poles

First Nations and Indigenous Studies

First Nations and Indigenous Studies engages in the identification of the roles that language, culture, identity, social structures, colonialism and resistance, and political issues have played in shaping First Nations issues in Canada.

Students in this program learn about Indigenous history, arts and culture, systems of knowledge, political theory and activism, and strategize approaches to contemporary issues. The program works to develop critical perspectives, theoretical frameworks, and practical skills that will support work and research with communities and Aboriginal organizations.

Get experience at UBC

Building your career takes more than attending academic lectures. Get involved with research and complement your studies with relevant research and applied experiences. Whether you choose one of the experiences listed below or one of the many other great opportunities available, you’ll learn new things, make new friends, network, and set yourself apart. It all counts.

Go Global 

There’s a lot to learn when you venture out into the world.  Go Global programs allows you to learn from a new vantage point, explore different schools of thought, take courses that may not be available at UBC and help you culminate an international perspective. 

Arts Co-op Program

Gaining paid, full-time, relevant experience through Arts Co-op will help you explore career options in arts organizations (like museums and film festivals, non-profit, government, and the private sector across Canada and abroad. Graduate with at least 3, 4-month work terms, average cumulative earnings of $25,000, career skills and experience, and a network of professional contacts that will give you a competitive edge after graduation. 

Community experience

Work and learn in community settings like non-profits and inner city schools. Take a course with a community-based experiential learning (CBEL) component and develop an understanding of community contexts and the systemic factors underlying community needs. Whether it’s a course or signing up for Trek & Reading Week placements, or a grant project in community, you’ll build skills in real-world settings and make invaluable connections with people in community.

Arts Internship Program

Build a career while you are studying through part-time, unpaid internships designed with Arts students in mind. Exciting internships are being created at galleries, art festivals, theatre organizations, museums, and grass-roots organizations and non-profits. Find your passion, gain relevant experience and unleash your creativity in a part-time internship this year. 

Student Directed Seminars

Student Directed Seminars provides upper-year undergraduate students (in 3rd year or later) the opportunity to propose, coordinate, and lead their own 3-credit seminar class with a small group of peers on a topic not currently offered at UBC-Vancouver. Each seminar brings together a group of highly-motivated students that explore and investigate a topic through learning activities including group discussions, research papers, presentations, guest lectures, applied problem-solving, and Community Service Learning. This is a fantastic opportunity for Arts students to share their passion for a topic, as well as build key skills in the areas of facilitation, time management, peer-to-peer learning, and more.

Career possibilities

Community worker

Community workers use excellent communication and interpersonal skills to help people with their needs and situations by providing access to social services.

Print journalist

Journalism requires the ability to write in different styles and from a variety of perspectives on issues ranging from homelessness to world politics and crime investigations to charity events.

Public policy analyst

Public policy analysts use their political and economic background to deal with current issues ranging from local environment to international trade and to contribute to policy development and new legislation.

Alumni profiles

Resources

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