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 Our GraduatesOur recent Ph.D. Graduates work in academic positions, in governments, and in community-based research and organizations. They work both nationally and internationally. Here is a sample of our graduates, their dissertations, and their current activities. Yale Belanger Dr. Yale Belanger is an assistant professor of Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge where he divides his time as the department's history and politics specialist while also teaching in the First Nations Governance Program in the Management Department. His research focuses on Aboriginal political and economic development in Canada with an emphasis on Native political organizations and Aboriginal gaming and casinos. Dissertation Topic: “Seeking a Seat At the Table: A Brief History of Indian Political Organizing in Canada” Nicole Bell Dr. Nicole Bell (bear clan) is Anishnaabe from Kitigan Zibi First Nation. The mother of five children, she has worked in the area of Aboriginal education for many years, and developed a school for off-reserve Aboriginal children using a holistic, culture-based curriculum. Nicole currently teaches Aboriginal education at Trent University in the School of Education and the Indigenous Studies Department. Dissertation Topic: “Just Do It: Providing Anishnaabe Culture-Based Education” Songwit Chuamsakul Dr. Songwit Chuamsakul is a senior Thai government official in the Research and Development Division, Office of Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand. He researches in the areas of community and social issues: sustainable development, social capital, sufficiency economy, human rights, community rights, and Indigenous knowledge and issues. Currently, his research projects concentrate on social and community integrated development issues, the Hmong people and their Indigenous knowledge. Furthermore, he teaches at Thonburi Ratchabhat University in the areas of community development and disadvantaged groups’ development. Dissertation Topic: “Education and Hmong Culture Change: A Study of Two Hmong Villages in Northern Thailand” Kevin Fitzmaurice Dr. Kevin Fitzmaurice writes: “The last few years have brought some enormous changes in my life, including finally graduating, getting married, becoming a step and (soon to be) biological dad, and finding a teaching position at the University of Sudbury (Native Studies). As well, I have been involved in an Ontario-wide study of urban Aboriginal people, a broad exploration of the ethical issues of research with urban Aboriginal people, and a re-writing of my dissertation for publication. My research and teaching interests continue to revolve around the many manifestations of power and peace within primarily Indigenous and Western theoretical discourses and practices. Overall, I am really quite happy and in love.” Dissertation Topic: Aboriginal – White Relations: Balance and Re-thinking of Power” Susan Hill Dr. Susan Hill (Haudenosaunee, Grand River Territory) is an assistant professor of Indigenous Studies and Contemporary Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford. She teaches in the areas of Indigenous histories, research methods, global studies and Haudenosaunee issues. She is in the process of publishing her dissertation as a book and is presently involved in a community-based project examining Six Nations historical records and documents, working towards increasing community access and understanding of those documents. Her general research interests lie in the areas of Haudenosaunee studies and Indigenous land relationships. Dissertation Topic: “The Clay We Are Made Of: An Examination of Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River Territory” Ross Hoffman Dr. Ross Hoffman is an assistant professor in the First Nations Studies Department at the University of Northern British Columbia. He teaches the introductory course as well as courses in the areas of Indigenous research, Indigenous religion and philosophy, and the image of the Indian in film. Ross is currently involved in two oral history research projects; one involves work with the Witsuwit’en Elder Alfred Joseph (Gisdewe), and the other involves furthering his understanding of the impact that an Arapaho spiritual leader, Raymond Harris, had on Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Dissertation Topic: Rekindling the Fire: The Impact of Raymond Harris’s Work with the Plains Cree” Jeff Lambe Dr. Jeff Lambe was born on the southern bank of the Navesink River in Red Bank, New Jersey. Jeff has volunteered with the Tree of Peace Society for many years and has degrees from Cook College / Rutgers University, Cornell University, and Trent University. Jeff's interests include narrative and metaphor analysis, cross-cultural relationships, education, and Peace Studies. Dissertation Topic: We Plant A Tree of Peace: Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp’s Narratives, Dynamics of Relationships and Principles of Peace” John Phillips Dr. John Phillips came to the Ph.D. program to study and research issues related to the interface of public education with the Innu of Labrador. The program helped deepen his understanding of the complexity of this multi-faceted phenomena. It also helped to strengthen his relationships with members of the Innu community of Natuashish. Upon graduation he accepted a position with the Department of Education where he works with Aboriginal groups to improve education for Aboriginal students in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Dissertation Topic: “Creation of Meaning: Non-Aboriginal Teachers’ Construction of Meaning in an Aboriginal Schooling Context” |