Jane Landry, Editor.
For an industry that is characterized by communicating information, building and maintaining relationships, and fostering mutual understanding, there is a strong societal need for public relations professionals to recognize and amplify the voices of marginalized groups.
The department of communication studies at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) is addressing the lack of Indigenous knowledge in public relations education by adjusting their core curriculum in response to calls to action set forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
As TRC call to action 86 states, “we call upon Canadian journalism programs and media schools to require education for all students on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations.”
To share stories, magnify diverse voices, and create change, communicators must have a deep understanding of Canadian history – which has unfortunately been known to neglect Indigenous perspectives in the country’s dominant narrative.
MMIWG call for justice 6.1 shows the importance of media and social influencers, stating: “ensure authentic and appropriate representation of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Support Indigenous people sharing their stories, from their perspectives, free of bias, discrimination and false assumptions, and in a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive way. Increase the number of Indigenous people in the industry. Take proactive steps to break down the stereotypes that hypersexualize and demean Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
In 2018, the MSVU communication studies department met with Patrick Small Legs-Nagge, special advisor to the president on Aboriginal Affairs at MSVU, to discuss the first steps in responding to the TRC and MMIWG calls to action. It was decided that a multi-faceted approach would be used, and the Circles & Symbols research project emerged as one strategy.
The Circles & Symbols research project represents a first step in the department to indigenize public relations curriculum, build and maintain relationships with Indigenous communities and scholars, change the narrative of Canadian history by recognizing Indigenous histories, and establish the presence of diverse voices in the media.
Two mandatory courses in MSVU’s public relations program – Foundations of Public Relations and Communication Design – have piloted assignments related to this project with context-dependent pedagogical strategies to achieve course objectives through Indigenous lenses. Specifically, talking circles and Indigenous symbol-based reflection are now incorporated into curriculum.
“The department of communication studies has prioritized a need to indigenize/decolonialize our programs as a strategic goal within our own department strategic plan,” says Dr. Amy Thurlow, communication studies department chair. “As a department, we have benefited a great deal from our connection with Patrick Small Legs-Nagge and the Aboriginal Student Centre. Through them, we have made stronger connections to the local Mi’kmaw community and invited elders and other guest speakers to a number of classes to share their voice and perspective with students.”
Over the past two years, faculty in the communication studies department have also participated in the Aboriginal Academic Access Post-Secondary (AAAPS) program . The AAAPS program provides a community learning space for Indigenous students at MSVU, and two communication courses have now been offered as part of the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre’s transition year initiative.
Indigenizing public relations education in Canada is a recent area of study. With only a few public relations programs across the country stepping up to the opportunity, there is a lack of research and resources available in the subject area.
As educational curriculum often reflects industry standards, marginalized groups who lack representation in the field tend to go unstudied at institutions. Through its work in this area, MSVU is furthering the field of public relations scholarship as it relates to integrating Indigenous worldviews into course materials.
Indigenizing curriculum provides the diversity and inclusion education that the industry desperately requires of effective and empathetic public relations professionals who will be change-makers in their communities and organizations.
