This final take-home exam is an Explanator Case Study: learners discuss the relationship between policy (e.g. treaties, Canadian law, health, sport, art, urban planning) and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The primary focus of the case study is to provide historical and contemporary context, regarding ‘why’ and ‘how’ a certain condition, policy or event came into being.
Purpose of this Assignment
Learners will practice and develop the following skills:
NEW: Incorporate feedback from previous APA submissions
NEW: Craft a rigorous Case Study to illustrate the relationship between state policy and Indigenous Peoples by doing independent qualitative research (as per the CILB).
Demonstrate engagement with required readings and appropriate external resources
Use APA formatting, with in-text citations including page or paragraph #s
Expansion of APA citation skills: citing legislation, archival and/ or public records.
Write concisely (short clear sentences; delete excess phrasing, adjectives, and adverbs)
Paraphrase (using your own words instead of ‘direct quotes’, quotes may be used sparingly in the analysis section of the final paper).
Formatting Instructions
This is an 6-8 page APA Essay
oWord Min-Max: 1600-2000 words (not including cover page, reference page, and optional appendix)
oDouble Spaced
- oEssay includes a formal APA Cover Page and Reference Page
APA formatting: In-text citations with page numbers and section #s (AUTHOR, DATE: #)
oAt least 2 in-text citations per paragraph.
oDo NOT write titles or authors names in sentences
- Suggested Template
Section 1: Introduction of Case Study and Key Ideas (your argument/thesis) [200 word]
- This is like the first chapter of an academic book, but smaller for a paper.
Briefly introduce the case (1 or 2 concise sentences)
Briefly introduce theoretical concepts as they relate to your argument (“I will be using the following concepts to demonstrate the relationships…. ). You do not define them here.
- Conclude this section with a discussion about why this is an important case; address Monchalin and Kitossa’s calls to resist positivist or orthodox framing of The Colonial Problem, as an Indigenous Issue.
Section 2: Theoretical Discussion [250 word]
- Define and explain theoretical concepts that you are relying on to make your argument
- E.g. settler colonialism, moral geography, etc
All required readings must be brought into this section
- Less than 20% of this section can be supported by external sources (Db would prefer you resist using external sources, unless it is for a very good reason).
Section 3: Case Study Discussion and Analysis [1000 word]
This is an in-depth discussion of the specific person, community, organization, event.
This is the only section where you are permitted to include 2 ‘direct quotes’ from First Nations, Metis and Inuit people or resources. [the only exception to Db’s paraphrasing rule]
You are ‘telling a compelling story’ supported with ‘data’ from multiple sources such as:
It is key to ensure you have resources that represent the experiences and understanding of the issue, from the perspective of the peoples or communities who are impacted.
oArchival documents (e.g. memoirs, photos, etc), news, community or civic reports are used in this section to fully illustrate the case [Prioritize Indigenous voices & content]
Section 4: Conclusions and Implications [250 word]
Following your analysis remind your reader of your thesis statement (argument)
Include a statement that identifies something new that you learned doing this project e.g.(this can be about the topic, or about something more practical like planning a research project). YOU CANNOT GET THIS WRONG: it is about you and your writing experience.
Reflect upon your role as it relates to the TRC Calls-To-Action.
Optional Appendix
If you want to include images or information from your archival search that does not fit comfortably in the essay, this can be a space to place it.
Required Resources:
Prioritize: Required Readings from the course
This is your chance to ‘show off’ your engagement and understanding of the readings we all worked on together this semester.
Prioritize: the voices and stories of Indigenous peoples and their experiences; You should locate interviews with Indigenous peoples, community web pages, social media related to the people or organizations you are writing about.
See CILB for tips on how to access ‘hard to find’ resources related to your topic in archives
Limit: Journal Articles and university press books are to be used minimally (less than 20% of your paper should be supported by these kinds of resources).
APTNnews: https://www.aptnnews.ca/