Faculty of Arts
Community Matters
As a part of the community,
working with the community to make opportunities for community members, it’s clear that community matters to the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies.
Opportunities for Community Members
From left: Linda Beardy, Karen Linklater, Claude Michell, Andrea Guimond, graduates of the Beginning University Successfully program
While the department welcomes students with traditional educational backgrounds, the faculty and staff are dedicated to working with individuals who may not even have imagined working toward a university certificate or degree.
Jim Silver, Chair of the Department, explains that faculty and staff
work closely with students to provide the supports necessary for them to
be successful. The Department also offers specially designed programs
to meet the needs of particular groups of students.
- The Beginning University Successfully (BUS) Program is designed for students who haven't completed grade 12 and want to achieve Mature Student Status.
- The Ma Mawi Program
is for staff members of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, an Aboriginal
organization that works to support families, who are working toward
their degrees with a Major in Urban and Inner-City Studies.
Sadly, Claudette Michell passed away on Oct. 5, 2012. As Program Coordinator for the Department, Claudette worked closely with the students in the program. During my visit in 2011, Claudette shared her own story with me, that is, how it was that through her education she was able reclaim her Aboriginal identity. To read her story, please click here.
Events in the Community
On November 19, 2012, Jim Silver, Chair of the Department and Shauna MacKinnon, Director, Centre for Policy Alternatives, gave a talk "Doing Research with Inner-City Residents" at the Oral History Centre on the University of Winnipeg main campus. To read more about their work, please click here.
On November 7, 2012, as part of the Visiting Speaker Series, Niigan Sinclair gave a presentation: "Dirty Waters, Dirty Stories: Aboriginal Literature in Manitowapow" from 12:00-1:00 PM in the lower level at 527 Selkirk Avenue. Come out and join us for this.
Diane Roussin, Executive Director of the Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre (Ma Mawi), gave a presentation "What's Happening with the Merchant's Hotel" on Oct. 30, 2012. If you missed it and want to find out what's happening, click here.
Partnerships with the Community
The Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies is engaged in the community and partners with members of the community, one example of which is the FrontStep Research Co-op.
Judith Harris, Faculty Advisor and Research Associate with FrontStep, explains that FrontStep is a service co-operative
that employs inner city residents to conduct peer-to-peer research and it is
recruiting for worker, consumer and supporter members.
Left to right: Andrew Moreau (Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Manitoba), Gail Dechateauvert (Research Associate, FrontStep), Judith Harris (Research Associate and Urban and Inner-City Studies), Virginia Hunter (Research Associate, FrontStep), Terri Proulx (Housing and Community Development, Manitoba) and Judy Hunter (Research Associate, FrontStep)
Future Directions
The Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies has been growing steadily and they see a couple of new potential students every week. They are enthusiastic about the potential for further growth, with recent approval from Senate to become a Department and plans to eventually implement an M.A.
The target date for the Department's move to its new location in Merchants Corner is now September 2014. This is an exciting project and everyone is looking forward to seeing it come together! Click here to go to the University of Winnipeg's media release about Merchant's Corner.
Join the Urban and Inner-City Studies Program
To find out more online, click here to go the Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies website.
If you would like to consider becoming a student in the Department of Urban and Inner-City Studies, or becoming a Beginning University Successfully student, you are invited to contact the Department office at 786.7196 for more information.