Sessional Lecturer, INF2151H - Indigenous Data Governance Foundations

University of Toronto
Faculty of Information

Sessional Lecturer

Winter Term 2026 (January - April)

INF2151H – Indigenous Data Governance Foundations

Course Description: 

This course (INF2151H – Indigenous Data Governance Foundations) introduces students to the ethics, principles, frameworks, and methodologies implicated in the design and creation of data collection and governance systems centered on the rights to sovereignty and self-determinism of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples, as well as Indigenous peoples in a global context. 

The course surveys the legal and political dynamics of Indigenous-settler relations, with an emphasis on the problematic history of data collection by state and non-state actors within Indigenous populations, and on the data sovereignty countermeasures developed and deployed by Indigenous communities. 

This course develops students’ understanding of key distinctions between Indigenous and western epistemic traditions, worldviews, and ways of being by incorporating Indigenous methodologies and understandings of data collection and research into its critical and analytical frame. Special attention is paid to the data governance and sovereignty principles embodied in core frameworks such as the OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) models, and the emerging legal and jurisdictional implications of policy mechanisms such as UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples). 

The course engages with emerging trends and case studies in Indigenous data governance, inclusive of operationalized examples of core frameworks across various jurisdictions such as the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and through data governance policy development within settler governments, institutions, and industries. 

INF2151H – Indigenous Data Governance Foundations

Estimate of the course enrolment: 35

Estimate of TA Support: None anticipated. Estimate of 75 hours with enrollment of 36 or greater. Allocation of TA hours, if any, will be based on enrolment numbers. 

Class Schedule: TBD. You are required to be located in geographical proximity to the applicable University premises in order to attend and perform your duties on University premises as of the Starting Date.

Sessional dates of appointment: January 1, 2026 - April 30, 2026

Salary: 
Sessional Lecturer I: $10,300
Sessional Lecturer I Long Term: $10,764
Sessional Lecturer II $11,021
Sessional Lecturer II Long Term: $11,227
Sessional Lecturer III: $11,279
Sessional Lecturer III Long Term: $11,485

Please note that should rates stipulated in the collective agreement vary from rates stated in this posting, the rates stated in the collective agreement shall prevail.

Qualifications: Preferably candidates will have a completed, or nearly completed, PhD degree in an area related to the course or a Master’s degree plus extensive professional experience in an area related to the course. Teaching experience is preferred.

Brief description of duties: Preparing course materials; delivering course content (e.g., seminars, lectures, and labs); developing and administering course assignments, tests & exams; grading; holding regular office hours. 

Application Deadline: June 10, 2025

Application Process: Applicants must submit a CV and a completed CUPE 3902 Unit 3 application form in one pdf file to the attention of:  

Melissa Szopa, Administrative Coordinator, Academic
Faculty of Information, 140 St. George Street 
University of Toronto
sessional.ischool@utoronto.ca

This job is posted in accordance with the CUPE 3902 Unit 3 Collective Agreement. Preference in hiring is given to qualified individuals advanced to the rank of Sessional Lecturer II and Sessional Lecturer III in accordance with Article 14:12.