Students are introduced to the history of Native American education by examining the assimilative effects of U.S. educational policies and practices upon Native Nations. Additionally, the course emphasizes Indigenous-centered educational practices that draw upon and are rooted in Indigenous knowledge, languages, and relationships.   

This course is the capstone course in Native American and Indigenous Studies. Students will utilize research methods and theory to conduct their own research culminating in a research paper. Professional development aimed to prepare students for graduate studies and careers will also be covered.

Individual research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member in NAIS, or other faculty approved by the NAIS Coordinator. Topic and format must be approved by the Coordinator and academic Dean.

Individual research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member in NAIS or other faculty approved by the NAIS Coordinator. Topic and format must be approved by the Coordinator and academic Dean.

A study of traditional and contemporary Native American expression as seen through oration, tales and legends, chants and songs, poetry, drama, autobiography, and the novel. Course content will vary.

An introductory course to the foundations of the Diné Language intertwined with the Diné culture. This course is for new and emerging speakers of the Diné language that incorporates elements of reading, writing, and speaking. The course will emphasize foundational vocabulary, simple sentence structure and everyday useful phrases in the Diné Language.

This course builds upon the critical need to decolonizing sexualities with specific attention given to Native American and Indigenous Peoples within the field of NAIS. We will work on both deeply personal and academic levels to encourage each other to better understand our challenges, shame, and reticence to this topic with an openness and respect as our foundation. 

Beginning with doctrines inherited from European colonizers, this course traces the development of federal Indian policies and their impact upon Indigenous Nations and sovereignty.  Major policy eras include: colonization and treaty-making, removal and allotment, tribal reorganization and termination, and self-determination.

This course introduces students to multidisciplinary research methods employed within the field of NAIS and assigned readings bring focus to the foundational premises of the field. Course assignments provide students the opportunity to develop their own research proposals which will be actualized during Senior Seminar.

Oral traditions and histories continue to serve as a means of preserving the collective wisdom of Indigenous nations and communities. Additionally, storytelling serves as a means of transmitting these oral narratives. This course focuses on ways in which various fields of study have approached documenting oral traditions and collaborated with Indigenous nations and communities.