Department of Native American Studies

Wade Davies, Chair

Native American studies is an academic discipline committed to examining the contemporary and past experiences and life ways of the first Americans from their perspective. The curriculum is designed to provide a study of American Indians from a holistic and humanistic viewpoint by focusing upon their cultural, historical, and contemporary life. Courses are designed for both Native American and non Native American students so they can better understand human similarities and differences, thereby leading to the development of better communications and cross–cultural relationships.

The Native American studies major supports the objectives of a liberal arts education.  The curriculum helps students develop cultural breadth through the study of Native American perspectives and world view.  At the same time, the tribal perspective of the major offers students a broader view of history and cultural change than is ordinarily found in the traditional liberal arts courses and is appropriate to the pluralistic society of our time.  As a result, the Native  American studies major is interdisciplinary, offering courses from literature to history, and provides a perspective that critically analyzes and evaluates the strengths and limitations of each contributing discipline.

Special Degree Requirements

Refer to graduation requirements listed previously in the catalog. See index.

For the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Native American  Studies, students must complete a minimum of 39 credits, 30 credits in Native American studies plus nine elective credits which can be met within the department or out–of–department.  The required NAS courses are: 100H, 200, 201H, 202L, 301E, 303E, 341S, or 400, two of three from 464H, 465H and 466H, and 494.
Beyond these 30 credits in NAS, students have the option to take an additional 17 credits from NAS as electives for a maximum of 47 credits in NAS courses.  These electives include NAS 195, 210H, 231, 295, 300, 324H, 329, 341H, 344, 388, 394, 395, 400, 410L, one of the three 464H, 465H and 466H, 496, and 499.
The nine required elective credits may be chosen from the elective in–department courses, or from the following out–of–department courses:   ANTH 102S, 323H, 330H; HIST 365, 366, and 467.
The Upper–division Writing Expectation must be met by successfully completing an upper–division writing course from the approved list in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.  See index.
As part of the major's liberal arts and interdisciplinary focus, all students completing the major must complete a minor in another field.  The department recommends cognate areas of study for the minor including anthropology, history, sociology, and political science.  Students also are encouraged to pursue a double major. The department recommends a compatible major in one of the following disciplines: anthropology, English, modern or classical languages and literatures, history, linguistics, political science, sociology, or social work. Students who pursue a second major are not required to complete a minor in addition to the second major.

Suggested Course of Study

First Year A S
ENEX 101 Composition 3 –
MATH 107 Contemporary Mathematics 3 –
NAS 100H Introduction to Native American Studies 3 –
NAS 201H Indian Culture as Expressed Through Language – 3
General Education 6 6
Electives – 6
Total 15 15
Second Year A S
NAS 200 Native American Studies Research and Writing Methods 3 –
NAS 202L Oral and Written Traditions of the Native American 3 –
General Education 6 3
Electives 3 12
Total 15 15
Third Year A S
NAS 301E American Indian Religion and Philosophy 3 –
NAS 303E Ecological Perspectives in Native American Traditions – 3
NAS 341S Contemporary Issues of American Indians or 400 Tribal Sovereignty 3 –
Upper–division writing course – 3
Electives 9 9
Total 15 15
Fourth Year A S
NAS 465H History of Indian Affairs in the 19th Century (spring) or 464H History of Indian Affairs to 1776 (autumn) 3 –
NAS 466H History of Indian Affairs from 1890 3 –
NAS 494 Readings in Native American Studies – 3
Electives 12 9
Total 15 15

Requirements for a Minor

To earn a minor in Native American studies the student must complete the following requirements:

  1. Complete NAS 100H, 202L, 301E and 303E.
  2. Complete at least 9 credits of electives from the following approved cognate courses: ANTH 102S, 323H, 330H; HIST 365, 366; NAS 195, 210H, 231, 201H, 295, 300, 324H, 329, 341S, 342H, 388, 394, 395, 400, 410L, 465H, 466H, 496, and 499.

Courses

U = for undergraduate credit only, UG = for undergraduate or graduate credit, G = for graduate credit. R after the credit indicates the course may be repeated for credit to the maximum indicated after the R. Credits beyond this maximum do not count toward a degree.

Native American Studies (NAS)

  • U 100H Introduction to Native American Studies 3 cr.  Survey course to acquaint the student with Native American studies by a general overview of Indian history, culture, philosophy and religious beliefs.
  •  U 195 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
  •  U 198 Internship Variable cr. (R–6) Prereq., consent of department. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office.  A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.
  •  U 200 Native American Studies Research and Writing Methods 3 cr.  Prereq., NAS major or minor.  Introduction to the Research materials pertaining to the study of American Indian peoples and cultures.  Emphasis on current research trends and writing.
  • U 201H Indian Culture as Expressed through Language 3 cr. Introduction to the language of American Indian peoples. Understanding, through the language, the history, traditions, and modern life of Indian peoples.
  •  U 202L Oral and Written Traditions of Native America  3 cr. Analysis of the oral traditions of Native Americans including a study of the literary works of early leading American Indian writers.
  • U 210H Native American Sports and Games 3 cr.  Offered intermittently in spring.  Explores Native American sports and games, both traditional and modern.  Through classroom learning and actual play, students gain an understanding of how play and competition have been vital to Native communities.
  • U 231 Indigenous World View Perspectives 3 cr. Offered spring even–numbered years.  Same as ANTH 231.   Examination of indigenous belief systems, with regard to world views, religious ceremonies, cultural ways and the impact that Anglo–European culture has had upon these systems.  Focus on indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, and North America from Canada and the United States.
  •  U 295 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
  •  UG 300 American Indian Education 3 cr. A study of modern Indian education to the present; examination of Johnson O'Malley funding for Indian education; and a look at the unique needs of the Indian child.
  •  UG 301E American Indian Religion and Philosophy 3 cr. Prereq., lower–division course in Perspective 5 or consent of instr. Same as RELS 301E. A study of selected ethical systems; origins, world views; religious beliefs and the way they have been affected by western civilization.
  •  UG 303E Ecological Perspectives in Native American Traditions 3 cr. An examination of Native American environmental ethics and tribal and historical and contemporary use of physical environmental resources.
  • UG 324H Indians of Montana Since the Reservation Era  3 cr.  Offered autumn odd–numbered years.  Same as ANTH 324H and HIST 354H.  Examination of the history of Montana Indians since the establishment of the reservations, contemporary conditions, and issues among both reservation and non–reservation Indian communities in the state.  Special attention given to social and economic conditions, treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, and legal issues.
  • UG 329 Native American Literature 3 cr. Prereq., three credits of lower–division ENLT courses and NAS 100H or 202L. Same as ENLT 329. Selected readings from Native American Literature with special emphasis on the literature of writers from the Rocky Mountain West.
  • UG 341S Contemporary Issues of American Indians 3 cr. Same as ANTH 341S. An examination of the major issues that affect the contemporary experiences of American Indians.
  • UG 342H Gender Studies in Native American Studies 3 cr. Offered intermittently.  Same as WS 342H.  Focus on American Indian gender relations and their cultural continuity and historical evolution. National in scope with concentration on certain tribes. Group analysis of contemporary gender issues relevant to Native American peoples.
  • U 344 Native Americans and Film 3cr. Offered once each year.  Same as ENFM 344. Surveys the image of Native Americans in American film with an emphasis on “revisionist,” or “breakthrough” films.  Ultimate focus will be on films featuring Native American writers, directors and actors.
  • UG 367H Art of the Ancient Americas 3 cr. Prereq., consent of instr.  Same as ART 367H.  Development of major ceremonial and urban centers throughout the Americas before the coming of Europeans.  Analysis of how the visual arts articulate ancient world views or cosmologies in relation to nature.  Focus on various strategies of reading the structure and meaning encoded in the layout of cities, stone sculpture, wall murals, ceramics, precious metals, and textiles.
  • UG 368H Latin American Art 3 cr. Prereq., consent of instr. Same as ART 368H.  Offered alternate years. Exploration of themes in the development of Latin American art from the colonial period to the present, including Renaissance ideals in the "New World", syncretism of European, African, and indigenous roots, the Black Legend, and the advent of such movements as Academism, Modernism, Social Realism, Magic Realism, and Post–Modernism.
  •  UG 388 Native American Health and Healing 3 cr. Same as ANTH 388.  Offered alternate years.  Examination of traditional and contemporary uses of medicine in Native American societies.  Issues discussed will be the current health status of American Indians, the relationship between medicine and culture, and introduction to various techniques for assessing health status of American Indian populations.
  •  U 394 Seminar Variable cr. (R–6) Offered alternate years. Variable topics addressing Indian law, policy and culture by visiting scholars.
  •  U 395 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
  •  U 398 Internship Variable cr. (R–6) Prereq., consent of department. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office.  A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.
  • UG 400 Tribal Sovereignty 3 cr.  Offered alternate years. Same as PSC 475. An examination of the evolution of tribal governments from a historical and political perspective. Particular attention is devoted to the issues of tribal sovereignty and tribal–state conflicts.
  • UG 403 Contemporary Tribal Resource Issues 3 cr. Same as RSCN 403.  Acquaints students with contemporary tribal resource management and environmental policies.
  • UG 410L Studies in Native American Autobiography 3 cr.  Offered intermittently.  Same as ENLT 429L.  Prereq., ENLT 301 or ENLT/NAS 329, or consent of instr.  Study of texts that present a first–person story of an American Indian individual’s life within historical and cultural contexts, with discussion of theories of autobiography.
  •  UG 464H History of Indian Affairs to 1776 3cr. offered annually.  Same as HIST 464H. A study of American Indian relations with Europeans and the United States from first contact to 1776.
  • UG 465H History of Indian Affairs in the 19th Century 3 cr. Same as HIST 465H. A study of tribal encounters and adjustments to the American nations in the nineteenth century.
  • UG 466H History of Indian Affairs from 1890 3 cr. Same as HIST 466H. A study of tribal encounters and adjustments to the American nation from 1890.
  • U 494 Reading Seminar in Native American Studies 3 cr.  (R–6) Offered spring. Prereq., NAS major or minor, 18 credits in NAS, and junior standing or higher.  Senior reading capstone course for the review of past and current literature on and by American Indians.
  •  UG 495 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses or one–time offerings of current topics.
  •  U 496 Independent Study Variable cr. (R–6) Prereq., upper–division standing and consent of instr. Selected topics on American Indians under the direct supervision of a faculty member.
  •  U 499 Senior Thesis in Native American Studies 3–9 cr. (R–9) Offered every term.  Prereq., NAS major or minor, 18 credits in NAS, junior standing, and consent of instr. Independent research project in Native American Studies, supervised by a faculty member, and leading to completion of baccalaureate degree.
  •  G 560 Methods and Sources in Native American Studies 3 cr. Prereq., consent of instr. Methods, sources for, and actual experience in the use of field observations, interviews, special collections, federal records, and library materials in Native American studies research and writing. Required of all Native American studies affiliated graduate students.
  •  G 594 Seminar in Native American Studies 1– 3 cr. (R–6) Prereq., consent of instr.
  •  G 595 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–9) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
  •  G 596 Independent Study Variable cr. (R–6) Prereq., graduate standing and consent of instr. Study of selected topics or problems on American Indians under the direct supervision of a faculty member.
  •  G 598 Internship Variable cr. (R–6) Prereq., consent of department. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office.

Faculty

Professor

  • Richmond L. Clow, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, 1977
  • David R. M. Beck, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, 1994
  • Stephen Greymorning, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 1992

Associate Professors

  • Wade M. Davies, Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1998
  • Kathryn W. Shanley, Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1987 (Chair)

Assistant Professor

  • Angelica Lawson, Ph.D.,University of Arizona, 2006

Adjunct Professors

  • George Price, Ph.D., The University of Montana, 2006
  • Robert Stahl, Ph.D., The University of Oklahoma, 1978