All course syllabi in WLU’s English and film department will now include territorial acknowledgement

The Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University has taken an unprecedented step towards recognizing the traditional Indigenous territory on which the university’s campuses are located. The department unanimously agreed on a proposal to include territorial acknowledgement on all future departmental class syllabi; the statement will read: “We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnawbe and Haudenosaunee peoples.” Jean Becker, WLU’s Senior Advisor for Aboriginal Initiatives, expressed pleasure with the new initiative, noting the importance of protocol such as territorial acknowledgement. Department Chair Ute Lischke stated, “in many of our classes at Laurier we critique power dynamics and including this acknowledgement on our course outlines certainly helps to raise students’ awareness about the continuing nature of colonialism. Such a statement will also help students to think about our own personal relationship to this history.” WLU News