Indians of the Great Plains

Catalog description

This course provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the study of Native cultures on the Great Plains. We will examine ecology, geography, geology, natural resources, archaeology, history, art, linguistics, cultures, as well as the human habitation of the area from first records (which are both archaeological and oral historical) to the present. The course will be run seminar style. Each student (or group depending on the size of the class) will choose a specific cultural group for study. If a student is a member of a plains Indian group the student is required to study a linguistically and culturally different group. The professor will act as a resource for methodology and research strategies. Each student will bring to the seminar a summary of relevant data for the group she/he is studying and present it to the class. Students will also build a portfolio of short papers on each seminar topic that will be assembled into a major paper at the end of the semester. CR: So. stdg.