This past summer, Indigenous Legal Studies at the UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law offered the Indigenous Legal Studies (ILS) Summer Intensive in Tort Law course. Catered specifically to incoming first year students from Indigenous communities, the five credit core curriculum course focused on substantive skill development, community building and mentorship, grounded in Indigenous perspectives and approaches.
The course aimed to provide the academic legal skills required to navigate through the challenges of the first year and succeed in law school. The course examined tort law from an Indigenous viewpoint, with numerous members of the Indigenous legal community contributing to and broadening students’ understanding of the material. Students also got the chance to discuss and reflect on the difficulties of learning colonial law, as well as learn more about Indigenous legal systems.
Gabriel George, a first year law student from the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation reflects on his experience from the course, “There are these intangible barriers to success, such as self-doubt, cultural differences and a sense of social alienation. The course helped us overcome these problems and build a sense of belonging and confidence among the Indigenous law student community.”
Read the full story at the Allard School of Law website.
Through Strategy 17: Indigenous Engagement, UBC is active in opening pathways to accessible opportunities to education for Indigenous communities in Canada and across North America.