We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Ontario Tech University launches Master of Arts in Social Practice and Innovation graduate program

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities students will address social problems and collaborate with diverse communities

February 3, 2023

People hold a megaphone and signs at a protest.

The world needs more thought leaders and change agents – people who can imagine, design and implement solutions to social problems that disrupt the status quo for the public good. The new Master of Arts in Social Practice and Innovation (MSPI) degree offered by Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) will position graduates to innovate and create positive change in Canada and around the world.

Over the past few years, Canadians have seen conditions in already under-privileged communities worsen, anger over racial injustices escalate, disinformation and misinformation spread across social media platforms, precarious work become a norm for billions of people, the effects of climate change intensify, and work and learning shift to the virtual realm during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, social change movements striving for human and workers’ rights, racial and Indigenous justice, grassroots democracy, environmental sustainability have galvanized and gained momentum.

The MSPI is an interdisciplinary graduate program at the nexus of FSSH’s programs in Communication and Digital Media Studies, Legal Studies, and Political Science. MSPI students have an opportunity to address social problems and build collaborations with diverse communities through social innovations involving the creation, development, adoption, and integration of new and renewed concepts, systems, and practices.

Human rights violations, racism, health care and social service inaccessibility, climate change adaptation, and media illiteracy are some of the social problems that students can address. They will do this by developing community-based solutions such as research collaborations with social movements, designing new technological polices and governance models, and learning from Indigenous knowledge.

To find out more about the program and how you can make a difference, visit the Master of Arts in Social Practice and Innovation web page, or contact SSHgrad@ontariotechu.ca. For information about the application process and requirements, visit the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies web page.

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