The MIS programme provides students with a thorough understanding of:
- the main dimensions of life in indigenous societies in the past and today; the challenges of their future, including culture and ethnicity; colonialism and the history of indigenous peoples; and indigenous resource management and environmental change;
- the emergence of indigenous civic organisations, their present operation as formal and informal systems, including their strategies for self-representation in political processes at different levels — from the local community to the global level;
- the relationship between nation-state and indigenous minorities, including the role of international organisations (UN, ILO); the formulation of legal, land, and resource claims with reference to customary international law; and international recognition human rights, such as the right to self-determination pertaining to indigenous peoples, their interpretation and implementation.
The studies at the MIS programme starts up with a field school as a part of the introduction course in indigenous studies.
The thesis work is supervised by academic staff from the cooperating units at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and topics are chosen in cooperation with the appointed advisors.
As a student of the MIS programme, it is possible to have international exchange as part of your degree from UiT.
To learn more about MIS, see our website and the MIS brochure.
To apply, visit the university admissions website or contact UiT admissions staff at international@uit.no.