This spring quarter, former Corbett Scholar Sierra Red Bow co-developed and co-taught JSIS A 280: Indigenous Encounters alongside Professor Jonathan Warren (international studies). Sierra’s experience as a UW exchange student to UBC in the fall of 2019 influenced her contributions to the course, and she shares more below:
“The course I’m currently teaching with professor Jonathan Warren, Indigenous Encounters, is meant to open students’ eyes to the diversity of Indigenous peoples and our collective work as a society to dismantle settler colonialism. There is no doubt that my time at the University of British Columbia has shaped the course. I had the opportunity to learn from magnificent teachers like Dallas Hunt (Cree) and Coll Thrush who introduced me to Indigenous Futurisms during my time at UBC. This a growing genre that asks us to imagine what the future holds for Indigenous peoples. As a college student, you get so caught up in the now. My time at UBC asked me a question I never asked myself: if you look as far as you can into the future, what do you see? The final week of this course delves into this very subject. We talk about shared histories, critical race studies, global Indigenous movements, confronting settler colonialism as it lives and breathes but we end thinking about what it will look like to dismantle the structure ten, fifty, maybe even thousands of years from now. Dreams and visions are central to Indigenous communities they give us a sense of direction in life so that we can walk the red road. In my community, seeking a vision is deliberate and I hope to bring that intentionality into the classroom. It is exciting and important to take a breath, ground ourselves in place, and envision what the future holds for all of us.”
Sierra was also named one of the Husky 100 this year, which recognizes students across the UW as exceptional leaders, innovators, and community members. You can read more about Sierra and the other Husky 100 here.
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The Corbett British Columbia-Washington International Exchange Program Fund provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at the University of Washington to spend two semesters at the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria; and for students from the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria to spend three quarters at the University of Washington.