Séliš and Ql̓ispe Culture and Language Studies Bachelor of Science

Program Description

The overall goal of the CALS Program, is to encourage and support the development and implementation of an academic program(s) that use Sqelixʷ educational practices to vitalize, perpetuate, and pervasively integrate our Séliš and Ql̓ispe cultural arts, worldviews, and languages; and, grow the number of highly skilled cultural artists, knowledge keepers, and/or language speakers. We aim to provide this program to as many students and/or community members as possible, but especially to support and graduate cohorts of three to five focused apprentices beginning the fourth year of program implementation.

Career Opportunities

Successful completers of the Certificate of Completion in Intensive Salish Language may choose to continue their education to earn an Associate of Science in Culture and Language Studies while graduates of the A.S. may continue on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Culture and Language Studies. Graduates will be prepared to work as highly skilled cultural artists, knowledge keepers, and/or language speakers.

Student Learning Outcomes

Throughout each level of the Culture and Language Studies program (C.C., A.S., & B.S.) candidates will demonstrate the following skills, dispositions and knowledge in relation to the principles:

●           Establish and apply understandings of Sqelixʷ worldview (appropriate ways of being), values, and spirituality within culture and language settings.

●           Strengthen Sqelixʷ identity, as well as personal and community health, through the participatory re-centering of language and culture.

●           Demonstrate proficiency in the Sqelixʷ language through listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

●           Demonstrate proficiency in the processes of making and usage of material cultural items to ensure cultural perpetuation.

●           Infuse Sqelixʷ worldview, values, and research methodologies to meet responsibilities to community through scnqeʔelsts.

●           Explore, think critically about, describe, plan and apply culturally sustaining and revitalizing Sqelixʷ education strategies including storytelling, seasonally-appropriate, experiential, place-based, and intergenerational knowledge transfer.

●           Identify and think critically about the relationship between Sqelixʷ history, sovereignty, sustainability, and stewardship in relation to Séliš and Ql̓ispe homelands and contemporary places.

●           Upon completion of the fourth year of the CALS B.S. program, apprentices will transition from culture and language learners to knowledge keepers who contribute to the community in appropriate, accurate and authentic ways.

Requirements

Students must receive a “C” or better in all required courses while maintaining an overall grade point average of 2.5 to graduate from each degree program.