INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to the field of Native American Studies. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students will explore the histories, cultures, identities, social movements, and contemporary concerns of Indigenous peoples of North America.This course examines key topics from Indigenous perspectives such as: colonialism, settler colonialism, racialization, indigeneity, sovereignty, self-determination, decolonization and resistance (Core Competency 1). In addition, this course will explore the development of Native American Studies as a field of academic inquiry, and provide students with opportunities to apply theory, knowledge, philosophies, and epistemologies created by Native American communities to describe the histories, cultures, and lived experiences and contexts in which Indigenous Peoples have sought to maintain their sovereignty (Core Competency 2). Finally, students will analyze how Native struggles, resistance, and social movements are relevant to current and structural issues (Core Competency 4).