University of Alberta course focused on Indigenous history seeing spike in enrolment following residential school discoveries
A free online course offered by the University of Alberta focused on "Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada" has seen a spike in enrolment in recent weeks.
The Faculty of Native Studies is offering a 12-lesson online course called Indigenous Canada.
The school says the program, "explores key issues facing Indigenous people today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations."
A spokesperson said for the U of A said this program has been available to anyone since 2017 and its popularity has grown since then due to world events and interest from celebrities such as Dan Levy.
The spokesperson added the school saw a giant spike in enrolment since the discovery of the mass graves in Kamloops, where 215 children from an area residential school were found.
"The week after the discovery, registration went from its normal steady 1,000–2,000 new enrolments per week to over 40,000 new enrolments," the spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.
The course takes roughly 21 hours according to the school and it is flexible based on each person's schedule.
While the spokesperson said they don't know the enrolment numbers per province, they said the course is popular around the world.
"Canada is obviously where it's most popular, followed by the United States," the spokesperson said
For those who want to participate in the course, registration is always open and people can enrol at any time.
People can sign up for the course online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.