Masters in Indigenous Langauge

Admission Requirements:

• Must demonstrate fluency or be working towards fluency in an Indigenous language

• Must provide proof of proficiency in English, (either a written test or an example of an undergraduate course paper) or completed an introductory university level English course

• Significant undergraduate training in aspects of Indigenous language grammar, revitalization or related fields.

• Prior undergraduate degree.

• In some cases, strong language and cultural or ceremonial experience will be considered in lieu of formal undergraduate training.

Program Requirements

• Minimum of six full courses (12 half-courses) at the graduate level and must include elements of the following, linguistics (morphology, phonology, and syntax), literacy and second language acquisitions.

• Students who are not fluent in an Indigenous language may be required to either take the first year of the BA program in an Indigenous language, or otherwise demonstrate concurrent coursework towards attaining fluency.

• Students who are fluent but do not have an undergraduate degree in linguistics may be required to complete either Cree 100 or IYIS 118.

• Involvement in a course-based research project or thesis paper.

• IYIS 500 Applied Cree Linguistics

• IYIS 520 Indigenous Research Methodologies

• IYIS 521 Issues in Second Language Acquisition

• IYIS 534 Community Language Revitalization

• IYIS 550 Methods in Language Acquisition

• NEHI 518 Cree Inflectional Morphology

• NEHI 522 Methods in Cree Literacy

• NEHI 528 Cree Morphology – Compounding

• NEHI 530 Issues in Cree Literature and Writing

• NEHI 548 Cree Syntax

Required course list

The Master of Indigenous Language Revitalization is a broad, multidisciplinary graduate degree that grounds students in both the theory and practice of Indigenous language reclamation. The program combines coursework with practical experience that combines the strengths of Indigenous and Western academic traditions and professional training that directly supports the students’ own community-based language revitalization goals.

Through applied coursework, project-based learning, and community-embedded research, students learn by doing: they gain experience as Indigenous language teachers and interpreters; develop a deeper understanding of language learning, acquisition; and strengthen their capacity as educators, researchers, and organizational builders.

The goal of the program is to provide students with the opportunity to further develop their understanding of language revitalization and to build on students’ linguistic knowledge of their language, giving them a better understanding of language acquisition, learning, and the status of the language in their community.

Our mandate is twofold: to equip students with the education and practical training necessary to advance language revitalization in their own communities, and to work directly with students, Elders, organizations, and communities in the collective work of reclaiming and revitalizing our languages.