UGRD > NAIS
Native American and Indigenous Studies Courses
NAIS 262L American Indian History to 1783 +
Description:
Once relegated to the margins of U.S. history, American Indian histories have emerged as important narratives in their own right and central components to the stories we tell about our own states, regions, and nation. For generations, American Indians have pushed their own priorities and been crucial historical actors in the making of the United States long before this nation came into existence. As part one of a yearlong survey of American Indian history, this course examines the histories of indigenous peoples of North America from their perspective, including the peopling of the Americas; pre-Columbian societies and civilizations; first contact encounters and exchanges with non-Natives; strategies American Indians used to confront expanding European and indigenous powers; and ways indigenous North Americans engaged global markets, diplomacy, and competing empires. More Info
Offered in:NAIS 263L Modern American Indian Social and Political History: From the American Revolution to Standing Rock +
Description:
This course will examine the varied historical experiences of American Indians from the time of the American Revolution to the present, with a special focus on the 20th century. American Indians (as well as Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives) are and were actors in history and not just hapless victims of Euro-American imperialism and power. The course will examine the ways Native peoples in the U.S. adapted and responded to the host of stresses that accompanied the rapid and often violent social, cultural, and environmental transformations of the 19th and 20th centuries. More Info
Offered in:NAIS 278L Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies +
Description:
This course is an introduction to key issues and themes in Indigenous Studies and to issues of concern to native peoples today. The majority of the case studies used will refer to Native American/Indigenous Nations from North America, as these nations have the closest relationships with the modern U.S. and are those to whom we have the greatest responsibilities. Other case studies will be drawn from South and Central America, the Pacific (particularly Hawaii, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and Australia) and Asia. More Info
Offered in:NAIS 347L Indigenous Research Methodologies +
Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of research methodologies, present core concepts in critical Indigenous studies, and demonstrate how to implement ethical practices into any research design. Intended for students who are interested in initiating their own research projects in the future, the course is structured to enable those with little prior knowledge of Indigenous research methods to plan, document, and revise an original project and appropriate research questions. This course is international in focus with some readings from Indigenous scholars in Australia, New Zealand, Palestine, Scotland, and more (i.e. settler or colonized states). Literature is drawn from Indigenous scholars and case studies from communities such as Ahkwesa'hsne Mohawk, Nga'ti Awa and Nga'ti Porou iwi Aboriginal Australians, and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Dakota, just to name a few. This course builds on students' preexisting experiences, preferred methods of inquiry, and research interests so that they gain a deeper understanding of the skills and tools required for the social sciences and humanities disciplines more broadly but can be applied in many disciplines, even those unrelated to Native studies. Finally, this course will also introduce students to several beneficial technologies and software programs for use in research for general literature reviews and bibliography compilation, collaborative analysis of qualitative data, and digital humanities projects. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
NAIS 488 Working for Native Communities: Internship/Directed Study +
Description:
This course examines the way in which research skills can be applied to concrete problems and their solutions particularly as they apply to various Native American/Indigenous communities in the Boston area. The course will give students the opportunity to develop and practice concrete research/presentation skills such as learning how to listen, how to work with a community, analysis, writing, public speaking, and team-building skills. More Info
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