The Indigenous Course Requirement (ICR) is marking its 10th anniversary this year at UWinnipeg. To celebrate, Dr. Mary Jane McCallum and the UWinnipeg Archives are leading a project, the Indigenous Course Requirement Collection, to document and preserve the history of the University’s ICR.
UWinnipeg was one of the first post-secondary institutions in North America to include a course for students to learn about Indigenous Peoples as a degree requirement.
“We are actively seeking the records of individuals or groups that hold or have held a role in the development and implementation of the ICR, or have conducted research on the ICR, as contributions to this archival collection,” said Dr. McCallum, Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous People, History and Archives.
The project will include a digital exhibition featuring a selection of the items collected and the stories behind them as told by those involved in administering, teaching, and taking ICR courses over the years. A physical exhibition will also be available in the Archives this fall. The archive will then be launched at a special event on September 24 in 3C00 from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
The project is funded by a SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) grant of $200,000.
How you can help
To enhance the collection, the project group would like your help. They’re looking for items to document important aspects of the ICR experience. Items the team is looking for include:
- Student assignments from ICR courses
- Course outlines, assignments, and other ICR course teaching materials
- Speeches, essays, reports, and project or research materials that reflect and analyze the ICR at UWinnipeg
- Committee minutes, agendas, and annual reports
- Posters, flyers, and other materials related to meetings addressing the ICR
- Records relating to scheduling and staffing ICRs
- Photos, emails, interviews, and notes that relate to the ICR founding and undertaking
- Committee minutes, reports, and correspondence dealing substantially with the ICR
If you have records related to the ICR and would consider a donation to support this initiative—digital, paper, or otherwise—please contact University Archivist and Digital Curator Brett Lougheed.
“The records comprising the ICR Collection document an important milestone in the history of UWinnipeg and its efforts to address reconciliation on campus,” said Lougheed. “By actively seeking out these records for long-term preservation and access, the Archives can assure future generations of researchers that this story can be told in a way that is reliable, authentic, and supported by a breadth of documentation representing the many stakeholders involved in the development of the ICR including students, faculty, and University administration. Many University records are only representative of the viewpoint of administration. Since students were so influential in the creation of the ICR at UWinnipeg, it is vitally important that the student voice is represented in the ICR Collection to more accurately reflect the history of the ICR.”
Many ways to celebrate
There will be several events to celebrate the ICR anniversary in 2026 and 2027, including the launch event on September 24, 2026 in 3C00, and several feasts over the fall and winter terms for current ICR students. Watch the newsletters and events calendar for updates.
Over the coming academic year, the project team will develop surveys for current students, alumni, faculty, and staff about the ICR and undertake a public history project involving oral history interviews.
About the ICR
The ICR is not one course, but many different ones students can choose from to complete their requirement. Approved courses can be from various faculties and departments. Since fall 2016, more than 20,000 students have taken at least one ICR course at UWinnipeg.
