SKBR- Reconciliation and Indigenous- Social Work Relations; Fall

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Faculty/Academic Area: Faculty of Social Work

Department
: BSW Program

Campus: Brantford

Employee Group: WLUFA

Requisition : 11816

Position Title: SK311 BR1 - Resonciliation and Indigenous-Social Work Relations

Term: Fall 2026 (September 1, 2026– December 30, 2026)

Days/Times: Thursday 11:30 AM - 2:20 PM

Mode of Delivery:
In-Person

Type of Instruction:
Lecture

Anticipated Class Size: 20-25

Additional Course Requirements:

Posted on: August 20, 2026

Posting ends: August 25, 2026

AI tools will be used in the hiring process: No

Position Summary:

This course provides knowledge for understanding the historic colonial processes that have deeply impacted First Nations communities in Canada, and the role social work has played in those violent dynamics. A central premise of the course is that reconciliation requires an active awareness of this history as part of the process towards decolonizing Canadian institutions, including the profession of social work that is our focus.

As such, students will critically look into the past, present, and future of missions (e.g., Christian, Residential Schools, Social Work 60s Scoop) that had the goal of helping Indigenous communities, but more often were central to their disempowerment and resulting social impacts. We are concerned with the problematic relations between Indigenous communities and social work as a means for beginning to consider what healing entails for both the Indigenous survivors of intergenerational trauma and a profession that is implicated in this social violence.

To learn about the potential future of our healing profession, we will follow the lead of Indigenous worldviews and experiences as it pertains to understanding this colonizing history and what healing entails. These views will be brought into a dialogue with social work research that has the potential for fostering more respectful relations. Those learners who see themselves working with First Nations, Inuit, and/or Metis communities as a social worker will benefit from the specific decolonizing knowledge and perspectives on healing that this course offers, though a more comprehensive engagement of holistic healing practices will be covered in SK422.

Qualifications – Required Academic Degree: Bachelor’s degree

Qualifications – Required Discipline: Helping professions including fields of psychology, counselling, nursing, social work, teaching, community work, social services and human rights.

Qualifications – Required Areas of Specialization: This course requires an Indigenous instructor with knowledge of Indigenous healing methodologies and Indigenous worldview; as such, preference will be given to Indigenous candidates. Indigenous candidates are asked to self-identify in their cover letter.

Qualifications – Required Professional Designation:

Qualifications – Other: Practice experience preferred

• Names and Contact Information for Referees
• Evidence of Good Teaching
• Verification of highest degree

Optional

• Teaching Dossier
• Sample Course Outline

Note:

A Cover Letter is not expected (unless noted as required) as the CAF will include information that is typically included in a Cover Letter.

This appointment is in accordance with the Contract Teaching Faculty and Part-time Librarians Collective Agreement, for which the Wilfrid Laurier Faculty Association (WLUFA) is the exclusive bargaining agent. All applicants are assessed using both the 'Appendix H:
Assessment of CTF Candidates under 13.6.1' in the collective agreement and the program specific rubric. Candidates should review these documents and ensure the information required is easily accessible in the application.

Wilfrid Laurier University endeavors to fill positions with qualified candidates who have a combination of education, experience, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position while demonstrating Laurier's Employee Success Factors.

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