Curriculum Integration Kernel

Curriculum Integration Statement

Respect & Harmony - The community should embrace a deep respect for others, themselves, potential customers and the world we live in, including the natural environment. Respect and even empathy is the foundation for everything, and most of all learning. Respect for the others is paramount including those with different opinions, backgrounds, experiences, cultures, nationalities, religions, races, sexual orientations, ages and more. This creates an environment of harmony in an inclusive learning environment for all and only with respect can true transformational learning take place.​ ​

Curiosity - We must foster a sense of curiosity - intellectually, emotionally and spiritually about the world and people. Curiosity inherently welcomes the unknown and personal humility. Asking questions is to be celebrated, even when there is no easy, complete answer. ​ ​

Fun - Learning and practicing marketing can be fun, through hands-on and interactive teaching and learning activities which should captivate the learner and offer a sense of fascination about the world.

Setting the Context

Land acknowledgments help individuals express gratitude for the land and acknowledge the Indigenous Peoples of this land, historically and presently. By acknowledging the treaties and territories they reside on, settlers are showing respect to the Indigenous peoples who have been sustaining the land since time immemorial. Land acknowledgements are part of a larger process to move towards reconciliation between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

It is important to note that traditional territorial land was not surrendered by Indigenous Peoples through treaties; the intention was for the land to be shared and the treaties were agreements to establish mutually beneficial relationships. Indigenous nations negotiated in good faith with the British, and then the Canadian government, to establish treaties with the crown. However, Canada actively sought to renege on treaty promises and use the treaties as a means to claim land for the state.

Many professors at Seneca conduct a land acknowledgment as part of course delivery and offer different activities to engage students. Professors teaching synchronously may read or have students read the Land Acknowledgement provided in the Learn@Seneca course template. Professors teaching asynchronously may use add videos with voiceovers as part of their land acknowledgement. Additionally, Seneca’s Land Acknowledgment video may be another means of engaging in territorial understandings.

Before proceeding to the next section, please review the article Beyond the Land Acknowledgment by Seneca faculty Darryl Bautista for additional information on land acknowledgement practices.

Activity Details

Creating Land Acknowledgements for Marketing Courses

Now that you have insight into why land acknowledgements are important, let’s take it one step further and consider how to connect them to marketing courses. As you think about land acknowledgments for your courses, consider how authentic and meaningful the experience is for you and the students. Students are often engaged in content if professors are deeply enthused, but at some point, you may need to vary the delivery to continually activate the learning experience. The same strategy applies to Land Acknowledgment practice. Without a commitment or authentic connection to your area of study, there is a risk that land acknowledgements can be considered as “box-ticking inclusion”, as noted by Chelsea Vowel.

Some of the general aims of marketing include creating awareness, generating interest and connecting an audience to a message. What if we can apply some of these considerations when crafting a land acknowledgement to increase its meaning and impact?

• know your target audience
• use language that aligns with your audience's values and expectations
• build a personal (emotional) connection
• embed a call to action

5R Framework

FirstPeoples@Seneca offers the 5R framework (Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Relationship, Reflection) that you can use as a starting point to build a land acknowledgment for your marketing course.

Respect

1. Which Indigenous Peoples and traditional territories will you pay respect to in your land acknowledgment?
2. How can marketing practices honour and respect Indigenous knowledges and ways of being?
3. Who is the audience for your land acknowledgment?

Responsibility

Consider your positionality, as an educator and in the communities to which you belong.

1. How have you included yourself in the land acknowledgment?
2. What are your responsibilities as a settler on this territory?

Reciprocity

1. As guests on this territory, how are you giving back, or plan to give back, to the First Peoples of this territory?
2. The land holds memory, and is a living archive. How does the land remember you?
3. What actions will you take to give back to the land?
4. What actions will your program and/or industry take to give back to the land?

Relationship

1. What is your relationship to the Indigenous Peoples and Nations of this territory?
2. What is your relationship to this territory/the land/Treaties?
3. What does it mean to you to live on Indigenous land today?

Reflection

Land acknowledgements are not meant to be static statements. As you move through life, as goals change, as class demographics and program content changes, reflect on how your land acknowledgment can adapt and change. Reflect on your values, as well as the values of your program and/or industry.

1. How do these values align with Indigenous ways of knowing?
2. What is your commitment to reconciliation?
3. How does your class/program make space for reconciliation?
4. How can you refine and adjust your land acknowledgment so that it better meets your goal(s) and values?

Sample Assessment Activity

In pairs or small groups, students will be asked to create two land acknowledgments, one at the beginning of the course, and one at the end. In their first land acknowledgment, students will be asked to provide a reflection on how they created their land acknowledgment and how it will help them in the marketing industry. As part of their reflection, they can choose to answer one of the 5R Framework questions regarding land acknowledgements. In their end-of-term land acknowledgment, students will be asked to reflect on how they can contribute to reconciliation in their desired marketing field. Their second land acknowledgment can also address one or more of the 5R Framework questions, and reflect the new knowledge they have gained from the course, on Indigenous peoples, their classmates, and how their goals for reconciliation may have changed.

Note: Think about the use of repetition in advertising. Repetition can help people remember a message and increase recall. Consistent messaging in different contexts can improve recall and recognition over time. Ask students how they can use repetition to emphasize messaging or phrases in their land acknowledgments.

Land acknowledgements can be evaluated through the 5R framework. Students can use any form of media they would like to present their work (written, video, audio, animation, etc.). An all-class wrap-up discussion about the activity can take place to consolidate the learning.

Summary

Land acknowledgements are a great first step towards reconciliation at the community level. Remind yourself and your students that the journey to reconciliation is often imperfect and difficult, but when we continue to work towards reconciliation, we can share what we’ve learned with others.