Dan Levy, a Canadian actor best known for his role as David Rose on Schitt’s Creek, has drawn interest to an Indigenous studies course being offered at the University of Alberta (U of A).
Levy posted to his Twitter account, calling for his fans to sign up for the course, titled “Indigenous Canada,” in August.
“I thought, if I am going to sign up and learn, maybe some other people would want to join me, and we could do this as a group,” Levy said in a video posted to his Twitter.
The course aims to “explore key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.”
The course is organized by the Faculty of Native Studies at U of A and looks at Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada.
The beginner level course is free and administered online, totalling 12 weeks, each with two to three hours of work. The online courses include video lectures, a set of course notes, and required and recommended readings.
“We could better understand and delve deeper into the curriculum,” Levy said in the video. “If you’re anything like me, I was not a good student, I need kind of group support, and I thought this would be a really great way of doing that.”
Tracy Bear, a professor at U of A who created the course in 2017, explains that the course has always elicited a lot of interest and enrolment.
Currently, 180,547 students are enrolled for the term, a number the school said increased after Levy’s shout out.
Paul Gareau, assistant professor of the course, recalls Levy’s enrolment as a complete shock.
“[Levy] just showed up on our door … we didn’t seek him out, this really worked itself out,” Gareau said.
Gareau explained Levy’s participation in this course as “representing Canadian settler curiosity … but very respectfully, rather than as a spokesperson.”
“This is not a culture course, rather it affirms the place of Indigenous studies in academia,” said Gareau. “[The classes] are about conservation.”
Frank Patten, a Canadian fan of Levy, signed up for the Indigenous studies course after Levy posted it on Twitter.
Patten credits Levy for bringing his attention to the course but said he ultimately chose to register for the course because he believes this information is essential for everyone to learn more about.
“I wanted to re-educate myself with a new version that will include all of the history as opposed to what I learned in school in the 70s,” Patten said. “Education is the first step to being an ally.”
Patten, who is a few weeks ahead of the course schedule, explained that he loves the course so far.
The course covers 12 topics, including Indigenous legal traditions, teaching and learning in Indigenous communities, and various Indigenous political structures.
“We have really settled for the settler story,” Garneau said. The course aims to educate more Canadians about a broader history of Canada, one not always focused on in schools.
Every Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET, Levy has run a livestream through his Twitter and Instagram accounts to discuss the course. The livestreams have included instructors such as Bear.
“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to actively re-learn history—history that wasn’t taught to us in school—to better understand and contextualize our lives and how we can better support and be of service to each other,” Levy said during a livestream.
Featured by Sara Mizannojehdehi
