Southwest Studies

Department Chair - Richard N. Ellis

Professors – Robert R. Bunting, Richard N. Ellis, and

Duane A. Smith;

Associate Professor - Richard M. Wheelock;

Assistant Professor - Peter McCormick.

 

The Department of Southwest Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the American Southwest.  By understanding the region’s distinct environments and diverse cultures, and how those peoples and environs interacted to define and redefine one another, graduates will find their lives deepened and their career opportunities in teaching, government, museum work, archives, public history, and graduate school admissions enhanced.  To fully grasp a broad-based and in-depth understanding of the region, a variety of course selections are offered from the natural sciences, social sciences and fine arts.

 

A major in Southwest Studies must complete 45 hours.  The 45 hours consist of 15 hours of Core Courses, 15 hours of Concentration Courses, and 15 hours of Southwest Elective Courses.  At least 27 of the 45 total hours of course work needed for a Southwest major will be at the 300 and 400 levels.

 

In addition to offering a major in Southwest Studies, the department also offers minors in Southwest Studies, Native American Studies, and Heritage Preservation.  The Southwest Studies minor consists of 18 hours of course work within the department, with at least nine of those hours being upper-division courses.

 

A minor in Native American Studies and a minor in Heritage Preservation are listed at the end of this section.

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE WITH A MAJOR IN SOUTHWEST STUDIES:

 

General Education                                                              35-46

 

** Courses marked with double asterisks may also be counted toward TS1 or Q requirements.

 

Specific Departmental Requirements:

**SW 131N  Southwest History and Culture

                                OR

**SW 135R  The Southwest

SW 301W                Writing in the Southwest Discipline

SW 383    Southwest History to 1868

SW 384    Southwest History 1868 to Present

SW 496    Senior Seminar

 

 

Subtotal Specific Departmental Requirements          15

 

Other Departmental Requirements:

           

Two of the following courses in the Historic and Contemporary Southwest:

SW 125    History of Hispanos in the Southwest

SW 136    The Southwest

**SW 280S  Native American in the Modern World

SW 323    Southwest Indian History

SW 342    Interpretation of Cultural Resources

 

One of the following courses from the Natural World:

**SW 181N U.S./Southwest Environmental History

** SW 250Nx  Ecology of the Southwest

SW 333    Wilderness in America

SW 335    National Parks:  Americas Best Idea

 

Two of the following courses in Art, Literature, and Culture:

SW 265  Art History of the Southwest

SW 282    Hispano Culture of the Southwest

SW 317    History of American Indians in Film

SW 318    History of Chicanos in Film

SW 326    West and Southwest in Film and Fiction

SW 330    Cowboys, Cattlemen, and Popular Culture

SW 380/Engl 380  Native American Literature:  Topics

SW 402    Contemporary Art and Literature of the Southwest

 

Subtotal Other Departmental Requirements                             15

 

Southwest Elective Courses:

SW 100    Fundamentals of Navajo Language I

SW 101    Navajo Language II

SW 115    Native American Newsletter

**SW 123R  American Indian History

SW 154    Indian Arts and Crafts

SW 241    Public History: Scope and Methods

SW 255    Introduction to Heritage Preservation

SW 256    Introduction to Museums

SW 315    Native American Newswriting

SW 320    West/SW American History

SW 322    American Indian Philosophies

SW 340    Archival Theory and Practice

SW 341    Oral History:  Theory and Practice

SW 344    Native American Oral Traditions

SW 355    Development of United States Indian Policy

SW 361    Cultural Ecology of the SW

SW 425    Hispanic Civilization

SW 450    Tribal Preservation

SW 481    Colorado History

SW 482    Western American Mining

SW 491    Practicum in Southwest Studies

SW 493    Internship in Southwest Studies

SW 499    Independent Study

 

Subtotal Free Electives                                                     15

 

Should a student desire, up to six or the 15 elective course hours can be taken from the following list of approved courses in departments other than Southwest Studies:

 

Anth 259 Field Training in Archaeology (if on a Southwest topic)

Anth 330 Archaeology of the Southwest

Anth 388 Ethnology of the Southwest

Anth 406 Ethnobotany of the Southwest

Anth 430 Advanced Studies in Southwestern Archaeology

**Engl 280R  Literature of the Southwest

**Geol 150N  Geology of the Southwest

ML 115     Elementary Spanish I

ML 116     Elementary Spanish II

ML 215     Intermediate Spanish I

**ML 216R  Intermediate Spanish II

ML 318     Advanced Spanish of the Southwest

ML 331     Chicano Literature

Phil 382    Philosophies of the Southwest

PS 400     Native American Law and Politics

**Soc 250R  Social Issues in Contemporary Native Societies

**Soc 279R  Ethnicity, Gender, and Class in the Southwest

Soc 421   Contemporary Social Analysis in the Southwest

 

Total Departmental Requirements                                               45

 

Free Electives (Variable)                                                 

 

TOTAL REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION                              120

 

Note to transfer and former students:  If you have taken any of your major requirements and received a different number of credits than listed above, you may need to complete additional major credit requirements.

 

Southwest Studies - Heritage Preservation Minor 

 

Coordinator - Andrew J. Gulliford, Professor of History

 

The minor in Heritage Preservation will allow liberal arts majors to explore career options in the fields of public history, cultural resources interpretation and management, and archival and museum studies.  Students will utilize the collections of the Center of Southwest Studies in the new $7.6 million building for their coursework.  Structured internships and practicums that are both local and regional will provide one-on-one mentored relationships with area professionals and with staff from federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

 

Note:  No more than one course from your major department will count toward this minor.

 

A total of 18 credits are required; at least nine credits must be upper division.

 

Required courses:

 

SW 255    Introduction to Heritage Preservation                    3

SW 491    Practicum in Southwest Studies                              3

 

Electives:  12 credits selected from the following with the approval of the Heritage Preservation coordinator.

 

SW 256    Introduction to Museums                                        3

SW 340    Archival Theory and Practice                                  3

SW 341    Oral History Theory and Practice                            3

SW 342    Interpretation of Cultural Resources                      3

SW 450    Tribal Preservation                                                  3

SW 493    Internship in Southwest Studies                             3

 

Electives from the Department of Anthropology:

 

Anth 330 Archaeology of the Southwest                                               3

Anth 388 Ethnology of the Southwest                                   3

 

Electives from the Department of Southwest Studies:

 

SW 323    Southwest Indian History                                        3

SW 361    Cultural Ecology of the SW                                     3

SW 383    Southwest History to 1868                                     3

SW 384    Southwest History Since 1868                                                3

SW 425    Hispanic Civilization                                                 3

SW 481    Colorado History                                                     3

SW 482    Western American Mining                                        3

 

TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION MINOR                                                                                        18

 

Southwest Studies - Native American Studies Minor 

 

Coordinator - Richard M. Wheelock, Associate Professor

Department of Southwest Studies

 

Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that is intended to provide important support for any major a student might select that could lead to a career in or near Indian Country.  For those who live and work there, the unique conditions created by the long history of Indian affairs and the present policy of Indian self-determination warrant a special orientation to the cultural, social, political, and economic aspirations and potential of America's indigenous people.

 

Students who minor in Native American Studies will be required to take a total of 15-19 credits, including the core courses for the minor listed below and at least one course from each of the study areas listed below.  In doing so, they may select courses that complement their major and contribute to their preparation for careers that demand an understanding of the dynamics of Indian communities.

           

Students who wish to complete a minor in Native American Studies should consult their advisor and a member of the Department of Southwest Studies.

 

A total of 18 credits are required; at least nine credits must be upper division.

 

Note:  No more than one course from your major department will count toward this minor.

 

TWO REQUIRED COURSES:

**SW 123R  American Indian History                                     3

AND one of the following two:

**Soc 250R  Social Issues in Contemporary

                Native American Societies                                       4

OR

**SW 280S  Native American in the Modern World                                3

 

Choose at least one Course (literature, arts, & media):

 

SW 115    Native American Newsletter                                    3

SW 154  Indian Arts/Crafts I                                                  3

SW 317    History of American Indians in Film                         3

SW 327    American Indians and the Mass Media                    3

SW 315    Native American Newswriting                                  3

SW 365    Mesoamerican Art History                                       3

SW 380  Native American Literature:  Topics                          4

Thea 382 American Indian Theatre                                         4

 

Choose at least one Course (culture, language, & cosmology):

 

Anth 330 Archaeology of the Southwest                                               4

Anth 388 Ethnology of the Southwest                                   4

Anth 351 Andean South America                                            4

Anth 371 Amazonian South America                                       3

Anth 406 Ethnobotany of the Southwest                                               4

Ed 331     Southwest Minority Child in the Classroom             3

SW 100  Fundamentals of Navajo Language I                        3

SW 101  Navajo Language II                                                  3

SW 322    American Indian Philosophies                                  3

SW 361    Cultural Ecology of the SW                                     3

SW 425    Hispanic Civilization                                                 3

 

Choose at least one Course (economics, politics, & law):

 

PS 400     Native American Law and Politics                            4

**Soc 250R  Social Issues in Contemporary Native Societies                4

SW 323    Southwest Indian History                                        3

SW 355    Development of United States Indian Policy           3

**SW 280S  Native American in Modern World                       3

 

TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED FOR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES MINOR                                                                     15-19