Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS)

NAIS 1500: Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies

(same as SOCIOL 1500). This course is required for students interested in completing the Native American and Indigenous Studies minor. This introductory course centers Native American and global Indigenous cultures, worldviews, histories, arts, values, lifeways, and sociopolitical institutions, while focusing on historical and contemporary examples of indigeneity that exist in law, food systems, education, media, land, environment, sport, economies, and health/medicine, among other domains. This course offers multidisciplinary perspectives and provides a foundation for students interested in Native American and Indigenous Studies as it relates to their own diverse lives, career fields, and areas of interest. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3

NAIS 3570: Indigenous Peoples of Alaska

(same as GEOG 3570). This is a survey course exploring the social, cultural, and historical geographies of Indigenous homelands in Alaska. The course will prioritize Alaska Native perspectives on adaptation to social and environmental change as well as the significance of traditional and Indigenous knowledges in understanding current issues and their global relevance in the rapidly changing Arctic. Students will learn about Indigenous knowledge systems and develop an understanding of the rich cultural and geographical diversity of Alaska Native regions. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: GEOG 1100 or GEOG 1200 or SOCIOL 1500

NAIS 4580: Decolonizing Methodologies

(same as GEOG 4580; cross-leveled with GEOG 7580). An introduction to research methods that are informed by Indigenous ways of producing and sharing knowledge, co-production of knowledge with Indigenous communities and Native Nations, ethical considerations and responsibilities as a researcher, collaborative research design, and applying Indigenous Data Governance principles. Such methods will prepare students to develop professional capacity for effectively and collaboratively working with Indigenous communities, to deconstruct colonial and postcolonial legacies entrenched in the history of scientific research, and to build reciprocal, respectful, and mutually beneficial relationships between researchers and Indigenous communities. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites or Corequisites: GEOG 3570 or GEOG 3560 or GEOG 3496 or SOCIOL 1500