MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
On the ‘BASIS' of place: Ten reasons that make Labrador Campus's new undergraduate program stand out

1/ Northern and Indigenous-focused

BASIS is the first undergraduate program of its kind in Canada and is a rare offering throughout the circumpolar North. Students will learn in small cohorts and be trained to navigate diverse knowledge systems and integrate multiple ways of knowing, doing and being.

2/ Embedded cultural experiences

This isn't your average classroom. Students will learn in new ways with embedded cultural experiences such as gathering country food, crafting and storytelling, providing opportunities for holistic and embodied knowledge of the unique climate, history, culture and technology of the Big Land. With storytelling woven throughout throughout the program, students will explore artistic and cultural practices that have been passed down through generations in Labrador as a vital tool to share knowledge.

3/ Embedded employability skills

As part of the program, students will complete FUSION modules alongside their courses to enable them to think about and reflect upon the kinds of skills they are developing as they work through their degree, including adaptability, AI literacy, collaboration, communication and self-management. Employers are looking for these skills in new hires. FUSION addresses the identified gaps in these areas, which are built around the Government of Canada's Skills for Success model.

4/ Arctic connections

With direct connections at Labrador Campus to the University of the Arctic (UArctic), there are a growing number of opportunities to engage with other students, faculty and researchers on key issues for Arctic communities. For example, with funding from North-to-North, UArctic's mobility program, there are opportunities for students to participate in exchanges to other circumpolar North regions. On campus, Dr. Sylvia Moore is UArctic's inaugural chair of Indigenous and northern education, while Heather Angnatok, program co-ordinator for the campus's Elders, Aunties and Uncles Program, was selected as a UArctic fellow for her expertise in various aspects of Indigenous knowledge.

5/ Learn on the land

The Labrador Campus offers a unique opportunity to live and learn alongside the land and people of Labrador. Land-based learning and immersive experiences are woven throughout the curriculum, grounding academics in place-based knowledge. In SASS 1500: Fall Camp 1, for example, students will spend 48 hours on the land and waters of coastal Labrador with a host family, organization or community. Together, they set up camp, gather food, water and firewood, prepare meals and participate in hands-on, land-based learning rooted in coastal life.

6/ Module based

Instead of taking a series of courses over a semester, the program is module-based, with each module lasting six weeks. Students will normally complete two modules each semester. Each module is made up of two or three individual courses, which will show up on student transcripts as one of three designations: classroom-based (numerically graded); land-based (pass/fail); and experiential (pass/fail). The 12 modules that make up the BASIS Program are designed to build on and complement one another, creating interconnected and interdisciplinary northern and Indigenous-focused learning opportunities.

7/ Interdisciplinary learning with the seasons

The modular structure of the BASIS Program reflects and respects the seasonal rhythms of life in Arctic and subarctic regions. Students will delve deeply into key topics of importance to Labrador and the North and learn through multiple disciplines, ways of knowing and perspectives through an integrative, interactive, rigorous and rich learning environment.

8/ Self-directed learning

In addition to modules, students will pursue their own learning interests with the equivalent of 12 credit hours available for approved student-directed learning options. This can include taking courses from other Memorial University campuses, exploring educational opportunities at other northern post-secondary institutions across Canada and the circumpolar North or pursuing approved skills-based learning and training opportunities that are relevant to living and working in the North, such as wilderness first aid or polar bear safety.

9/ Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems

The Labrador Campus is not only home to the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, it is also home to the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems, an 80-acre farm in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. As a hub for community-led and northern-focused food systems research, education, community connections, production and distribution in Labrador, the Pye Centre works in partnership with local farmers, Indigenous organizations, the provincial agrifoods department and Agriculture and Agrifoods Canada, as well as students and researchers.

10/ Diverse career paths

BASIS aims to contribute to understanding and addressing the most pressing needs and priorities of the North, and to develop a network of learners that will contribute to northern social, cultural and economic growth, development and prosperity. As such, the program emphasizes training in critical thinking, writing, communication and decision-making. Graduates will have diverse career path opportunities, particularly as they relate to northern regions. These could include fields such as environmental sustainability and innovation, cultural revitalization and preservation, media and arts, land preservation and protection, public service or graduate studies. Examples of specific careers in these areas include land guardian, conservation education facilitator, food security co-ordinator, cultural programs co-ordinator, Indigenous multimedia storyteller, northern regional government liaison, among many more.