American Indian Indigenous Studies

Introductory course to American Indian Studies as an interdisciplinary academic field of study centered on the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous peoples of North America. Topics include the development of AIIS and how it fits with key terms, concepts, and legislation that have influenced Indigenous peoples and communities for centuries.

This course introduces students to the origins, histories and cultures of the diverse Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Students will explore content largely presented through Indigenous perspectives that include both historical and contemporary narratives.

This course explores American Indian/Indigenous education from multiple perspectives, beginning with traditional Indigenous educational systems, then following through colonial, federal, and contemporary education institutions. Impacts of these differing pedagogies are evaluated through the lens of education as both a tool of assimilation as well as a tool of empowerment.

Analyze American Indian and Indigenous representation in film through the eras of American cinema. Presentation of storylines, images, languages, people, and places are explored from classic westerns through contemporary Indigenous-produced films. The ongoing impacts of the full range of these films are assessed within diverse audiences and collective society.

Contemporary topics explored include treaty and water rights, natural resource management and extraction, gaming, food sovereignty, education, and community health and wellness. Issues are examined individually as well as how they interrelate with each other within the sovereignty of Indigenous nations across North America.

Exploration of the literary diversity of contemporary Indigenous authors, including novels, autobiographies, short stories, and poetry. Consideration of how these texts are used as a means of Indigenous expression and resistance to colonization. Texts include those from pivotal authors such as N. Scott Momaday, Vine Deloria, Jr., and Louise Erdrich.

The first half of a two-quarter survey of Native American history. Examines the interactions between the Indigenous populations of North America and the changing economic, social and political environments from pre-European contact until 1815.

This course picks up where AIIS 209 left off at the end of the War of 1812. Examines the changing relationships in North America between Native and non-Native peoples and communities, and the events that defined them.

Explore the historical and contemporary roles and influences of Indigenous women in North America. Their diverse experiences are considered from both the individual and collective perspectives, beginning within traditional communities, through Euro-American colonization, and into contemporary efforts to decolonize the position of Native women in both Native and mainstream societies.