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Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor

M Acad Dean's Admin
Academic Affairs
  • Program Type: Undergraduate minor related to major
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2023
  • Required credits in this minor: 20
The Native American and Indigenous Studies minor is designed to enhance students' awareness and their overall knowledge about sovereignty and the diversity of Indigenous cultures with primary focus on the United States. Minors are required to engage and learn American Indian histories, cultures, literatures, languages, arts, sciences, and expressive cultures. Program Student Learning Outcomes: Native American and Indigenous Studies promotes critical thinking, writing, and communication skills that are also rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and community involvement by the following: • Developing proficiency in core concepts in the field of Native American and Indigenous Studies; • Locating, exploring, and critically analyzing texts relevant to Native American and Indigenous Studies; • Acquiring an awareness of the complexities of tribal sovereignty; • Developing skills and knowledge necessary to engage in collaborative and ethical research within Indigenous Studies; • Applying interdisciplinary skills and approaches in the study of Indigenous peoples within local and global contexts; • Writing and speaking effectively.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Minor Requirements
Native American and Indigenous Studies students are especially encouraged to take an American indigenous language, such as Anishinaabe or Dakota. Up to 4 credits of coursework with a grade of D or D+ may be used to meet the minor requirements. Courses may not be taken S/N unless course is offered as S/N only. A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required in the minor to graduate. The GPA includes all, and only, University of Minnesota coursework. Grades of "F" are included in GPA calculation until they are replaced.
Required Courses
NAIS 1101 - Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
Electives
Students must complete at least 16 credits from the electives below, subject to the following restrictions: 1. Students must have at least one course from two of the disciplines below. 2. No more than 4 credits of directed studies (X993) may be applied to the minor. 3. No more than 8 credits of an American Indigenous language may apply to the minor. 4. At least 3 credits must be at the 3xxx level or higher.
Take 16 or more credit(s) from the following:
· ANTH 3402 - Representations from the Field: American Indian Ethnography and Ethnohistory [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ANTH 3455 - North American Archaeology [SS] (4.0 cr)
· ANTH 3465 - Archaeology and Native Peoples [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ANTH 3993 - Directed Study (1.0-5.0 cr)
· ENGL 2411 - Representations of American Indians in Popular and Academic Culture [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 3301 - U.S. Multicultural Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 4017 - Research Seminar: Tricksters-Conjurers in American Indian and African American Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· FREN 3608 - FRS: Literature and Film of Francophone First Nations (2.0-4.0 cr)
· HIST 2251 - American Indians and the United States: A History [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 2252 - Comparative Indigenous History: Beyond Native America [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 2451 - The American West [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3304 - Race, Class, and Gender in American History [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3359 - Native Strategies for Survival, 1880-1920 [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3402 - Representations from the Field: American Indian Ethnography and Ethnohistory [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3403 - American Indian Education: History and Representation [E/CR] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3614 - Race and Ethnicity in Latin America [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· IS 3253H - Honors: Honoring Native Treaties: Human Rights and Civic Responsibilities [E/CR] (2.0 cr)
· NAIS 1803 - Native America in the 20th Century [IC] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 2212 - Indian Residential Schools: Their History and Legacy [E/CR] (2.0 cr)
· NAIS 2213 - Indian Education Past and Present [E/CR] (3.0 cr)
· NAIS 2252 - Comparative Indigenous History: Beyond Native America [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 2801 - Anishinaabe Song and Dance: An Exploration of Song and Dance, Traditions and Practices [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 2993 - Directed Study (1.0-5.0 cr)
· NAIS 3220 - Indigenous Language and Cultural Immersion Experience (1.0-2.0 cr)
· NAIS 3403 - American Indian Education: History and Representation [E/CR] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 3404 - Contemporary Research Issues in Native America [E/CR] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 3405 - Digital Workshop in Native American and Indigenous Studies [E/CR] (2.0 cr)
· NAIS 3993 - Directed Study (1.0-5.0 cr)
· POL 3235 - U.S. Criminal and Tribal Law [SS] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 3311 - American Indian Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
or ENGL 3312 - World Indigenous Literature and Film [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· Take at most 8 credit(s) from the following:
· NAIS 1001 - Beginning Dakota Language I (5.0 cr)
· NAIS 1002 - Beginning Dakota Language II [WL] (5.0 cr)
· NAIS 1011 - Beginning Anishinaabe Language I (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 1012 - Beginning Anishinaabe Language II [WL] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 1054 - Associated Languages: Introduction to Nahuatl Language [IP] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 2001 - Intermediate Dakota I [HDIV] (5.0 cr)
· NAIS 2002 - Intermediate Dakota II [HDIV] (5.0 cr)
· NAIS 2011 - Intermediate Anishinaabe Language I [HUM] (4.0 cr)
· NAIS 2012 - Intermediate Anishinaabe Language II [HUM] (4.0 cr)
Other Elective Courses
Directed studies and interdisciplinary internships, with appropriate subject matter, may be used to meet the elective requirements.
 
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NAIS 1101 - Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
An introduction to Native American and indigenous histories and literature, and to other expressive cultures. An interdisciplinary course emphasizing sovereignty, effects of government policies, and diversity of Native American and indigenous societies.
ANTH 3402 - Representations from the Field: American Indian Ethnography and Ethnohistory (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 3402/Anth 3402
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Same as Hist 3402. An analysis of ethnographic and ethnohistoric materials focusing on specific American Indian cultures.
ANTH 3455 - North American Archaeology (SS)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
The archaeology of the societies located in the current United States and Canada prior to European colonization. Includes the earliest human colonization of North America (circa 12,000 years ago), early hunting and gathering societies, the development of agriculture, and the formation of complex chiefdoms. Emphasis on the diversity of cultures, languages, economies, and environments found throughout precontact North America.
ANTH 3465 - Archaeology and Native Peoples (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Consideration of examples of archaeological investigations which take Native peoples and cultures as their objective focus; the foundations of a scientific epistemology and philosophy underwriting that focus; the reaction and resistance of Native communities to this kind of archaeology and the epistemological differences informing their positions; and examples of how archaeology might integrate both Native and scientific epistemological stances for a more ethically equitable approach to the past. The goal is to introduce students to scholarly and literary resources that bring opposing viewpoints into conversation with one another.
ANTH 3993 - Directed Study
Credits: 1.0 -5.0 [max 10.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Individualized on- or off-campus research project or other learning activity not covered in the regular anthropology curriculum. Topic determined by the student and instructor.
ENGL 2411 - Representations of American Indians in Popular and Academic Culture (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Study of representations of American Indians in American popular and academic culture including literature, film, and sports. Particular attention given to how indigenous identities, histories, and cultures are represented in pop culture by non-indigenous peoples and, more recently, indigenous people themselves. prereq: 1601 or 2109 or equiv or declared English major or NAIS major
ENGL 3301 - U.S. Multicultural Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Examination of literatures by African American, American Indian, Asian American, Chicana/o, U.S. Latino/a, and other under-represented peoples. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212 or instr consent
ENGL 4017 - Research Seminar: Tricksters-Conjurers in American Indian and African American Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Study of tricksters and conjurers in American Indian and African American literature, in particular their ability to maintain traditional practices and subvert the dominant culture and imposed cultural norms. Special attention given to cultural and historical contexts and questions of power, identity, cultural difference, and assimilation. prereq: two from 31xx-35xx, instr consent
FREN 3608 - FRS: Literature and Film of Francophone First Nations
Credits: 2.0 -4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Learn about the history, cultures, literature, and film of French-speaking First Nation and Indigenous peoples of Canada, especially those of Quebec and Manitoba provinces. Study the history of interactions between French explorers and the people they met on Turtle Island, the repercussions of Canadian boarding schools, and the beauty and importance of contemporary imaginative works created by the First Nation and Indigenous peoples to our north. Meets Francophone Studies (FRS) requirement in French major. prereq: 3011 or instr consent
HIST 2251 - American Indians and the United States: A History (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
The experience of the original Americans and their interaction with later immigrants.
HIST 2252 - Comparative Indigenous History: Beyond Native America (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 2252/AmIn 2252
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Same as NAIS 2252. Explore indigenous experiences with settler colonialism in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and sub-Saharan Africa. With special attention to issues of race, labor, gender, education, and movements for decolonization, place the indigenous histories of Morris and Minnesota within a global context. [Note: no credit for students who have received credit for NAIS 1701 or Hist 1701]
HIST 2451 - The American West (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 3451/Hist 2451
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
The American West has loomed large in the imagination of the public since the first Europeans set foot on what would become the United States of America. Historian Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier of the West was what distinguished Americans from their European counterparts. However, the West was already home to complex and sophisticated cultures long before the first fur trapper, gold miner, missionary, or cowboy arrived. Disagreements over the future of the West fueled violent confrontation, disagreements that continue to reveal themselves on contemporary relations among a variety of ethnic, class, and cultural backgrounds. Explore the historical underpinnings of confrontations between settlers and indigenous inhabitants, farmers and ranchers, and the federal, state, private, environmental, and tribal interests in the West. These historical underpinnings help to re-imagine the West and the American identity, and continue to shape contemporary controversies.
HIST 3304 - Race, Class, and Gender in American History (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
The themes of race, class, and gender are explored in-depth throughout the semester. Students gain a new awareness about historiography and theories that highlight this growing subfield of American history. Prominent topics covered in lecture and readings include colonization, slavery, suffrage, immigration, sovereignty, labor, ghettoization, art, literature, culture, and the rise of self-determination. Study the intersection of race, class, and gender relations through multiple perspectives of region, ideology, political-economy, and religion.
HIST 3359 - Native Strategies for Survival, 1880-1920 (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Exploration of the events and policies that sought to eliminate American Indian communities and cultures and the strategies that American Indians developed to survive. Students gain insight into a pivotal time for the "incorporation" of the United States and ongoing tensions between unity and diversity that characterize the nation's political economy and social structure. Paradoxes under scrutiny include the degree to which policies claiming to emancipate actually imprisoned and prisons became homelands.
HIST 3402 - Representations from the Field: American Indian Ethnography and Ethnohistory (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 3402/Anth 3402
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Same as Anth 3402. An analysis of ethnographic and ethnohistoric materials focusing on specific American Indian cultures.
HIST 3403 - American Indian Education: History and Representation (E/CR)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 3403/AmIn 3403
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Same as NAIS 3403. Examination of indigenous education in the United States from pre-contact to the late 20th century. Topics include indigenous ways of teaching and learning, efforts to assimilate Native peoples through education, the movement toward educational self-determination within Native communities, and contemporary representations of boarding school experiences. Students also gain insight into the history of the Morris Indian School and its contemporary representation at UMM.
HIST 3614 - Race and Ethnicity in Latin America (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Explore issues of race and ethnicity in Latin America from a historical perspective. Covering the colonial and national periods, examine how ideas of race and ethnicity have intersected with political, economic, and socio-cultural developments in the region. Consider the ways in which race, class, and gender have intersected in Latin America.
IS 3253H - Honors: Honoring Native Treaties: Human Rights and Civic Responsibilities (E/CR)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Examination of North American Indigenous treaties with Canada and the United States, the human rights concerns those treaties bring into focus, and the civic responsibilities the treaties entail. Includes both historical treaty issues, such as the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie and its implications for the ownership of the Black Hills, the 1851 Treaty of Traverse de Sioux and the Dakota War of 1862, and more current movements tied to treaty obligations. Survey of leaders and leadership styles in both historic treaty negotiations and contemporary indigenous rights movements. prereq: participation in Honors Program or instr consent
NAIS 1803 - Native America in the 20th Century (IC)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Explore and critically analyze popular representations of Native people as separate from modern American society. Readings and assignments address how indigenous communities have confounded non-Native expectations through participation in wage labor, migration, athletics, and popular media during the long 20th century. prereq: new college student in their first semester of enrollment at UMM
NAIS 2212 - Indian Residential Schools: Their History and Legacy (E/CR)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Summer
Study of the general history of Indian residential schools and their on-going legacy. Students produce public resource materials on Indian residential schools experiences including the Morris Industrial School. Course includes field work.
NAIS 2213 - Indian Education Past and Present (E/CR)
Credits: 3.0 [max 6.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Summer
Study of the general history of Indian residential schools and their on-going legacy. Students will produce public resource materials on Indian residential schools experiences including the Morris Industrial School. prereq: instr consent
NAIS 2252 - Comparative Indigenous History: Beyond Native America (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 2252/AmIn 2252
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Same as Hist 2252. Explore indigenous experiences with settler colonialism in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and sub-Saharan Africa. With special attention to issues of race, labor, gender, education, and movements for decolonization, place the indigenous histories of Morris and Minnesota within a global context. [Note: no credit for students who have received credit for AmIn 1701 or Hist 1701]
NAIS 2801 - Anishinaabe Song and Dance: An Exploration of Song and Dance, Traditions and Practices (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Spring Even Year
Exploration of the language and culture of Anishinaabe song and dance traditions in historical and contemporary times. Learn the deeper meaning and different styles of the ceremonial practices of the Anishinaabe people, which include learning how to make hand drums and studying traditional dance societies and belief systems. prereq: 1011 or instr consent
NAIS 2993 - Directed Study
Credits: 1.0 -5.0 [max 10.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
An on- or off-campus learning experience individually arranged between a student and a faculty member for academic credit in areas not covered in the regular curriculum.
NAIS 3220 - Indigenous Language and Cultural Immersion Experience
Credits: 1.0 -2.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Summer
As children, humans learn their primary language(s) through day-to-day living and interactions in their communities. This course enables participants to learn Native language through similar immersion, focusing specifically on Minnesota's first people and the Anishinaabemowin and Dakota Iapi languages. Students will live in community together and participate in a language immersion experience wherein they conduct everyday activities in the target language; experience language-learning activities suitable to their level of proficiency (from beginner to advanced); and utilize their language skills in the classroom, as well as in outings and activities. Additionally, students study the interrelationships between language, culture, and contemporary events. prereq: instr consent
NAIS 3403 - American Indian Education: History and Representation (E/CR)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 3403/AmIn 3403
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Same as Hist 3403. Examination of indigenous education in the United States from pre-contact to the late 20th century. Topics include indigenous ways of teaching and learning, efforts to assimilate Native peoples through education, the movement toward educational self-determination within Native communities, and contemporary representations of boarding school experiences. Students also gain insight into the history of the Morris Indian School and its contemporary representation at UMM.
NAIS 3404 - Contemporary Research Issues in Native America (E/CR)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Critical examination of research theories, methodologies, and practices of various academic disciplines used to study Native Americans. Review of research databases and collections pertaining to Native Americans. Emphasis on the impact and value of research for Native communities. prereq: 1101
NAIS 3405 - Digital Workshop in Native American and Indigenous Studies (E/CR)
Credits: 2.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Introduction to digital humanities and curatorial practices in Native American and Indigenous Studies. Become familiar with core debates about digital humanities and curatorial studies and use that knowledge to work with archival materials, to create new materials, and to curate a space for those materials. prereq: instr consent
NAIS 3993 - Directed Study
Credits: 1.0 -5.0 [max 10.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
An on- or off-campus learning experience individually arranged between a student and a faculty member for academic credit in areas not covered in the regular curriculum.
POL 3235 - U.S. Criminal and Tribal Law (SS)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Examination of criminal law, tribal law and criminological theory within the United States. Includes a focus on the interactions between tribal versus federal and state criminal law. prereq: 1201 or instr consent
ENGL 3311 - American Indian Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Study of American Indian literature written in English. Particular attention given to language, identity, land, and sovereignty. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212 or instr consent
ENGL 3312 - World Indigenous Literature and Film (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Comparative study of indigenous literature and film from North America, New Zealand, and Australia with particular emphasis given to issues of political and cultural sovereignty, cultural appropriation, self-representation, and colonial nostalgia. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212, or instr consent, or NAIS major
NAIS 1001 - Beginning Dakota Language I
Credits: 5.0 [max 5.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
An introduction to speaking, writing, and reading Dakota language and an overview of Dakota culture.
NAIS 1002 - Beginning Dakota Language II (WL)
Credits: 5.0 [max 5.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
A continuation of 1001 with greater emphasis on conversation and culture. prereq: 1001 or instr consent
NAIS 1011 - Beginning Anishinaabe Language I
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
An introduction to speaking, writing, and reading Anishinaabe language and an overview of Anishinaabe culture.
NAIS 1012 - Beginning Anishinaabe Language II (WL)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
A continuation of 1011 with greater emphasis on conversation and culture. prereq: 1011
NAIS 1054 - Associated Languages: Introduction to Nahuatl Language (IP)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: SPAN 1054/NAIS 1054
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Same as Span 1054. An introduction to speaking, writing, and reading in contemporary Nahuatl (more popularly known as the language of the Mexica or Aztecs) and an overview of Nahua culture. prereq: due to the fact that many Nahuatl texts are bilingual, it is recommended that students have completed at least two years of college-level Spanish
NAIS 2001 - Intermediate Dakota I (HDIV)
Credits: 5.0 [max 5.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Listening, speaking, reading, writing. Oral drills, in-class participation focused on questions/answers. prereq: 1002
NAIS 2002 - Intermediate Dakota II (HDIV)
Credits: 5.0 [max 5.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Listening, speaking, reading, writing. Oral drills, in-class participation focused on questions/answers. prereq: 2001
NAIS 2011 - Intermediate Anishinaabe Language I (HUM)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Review of the essential structural patterns of the Anishinaabe language; continued development of oral, aural, reading, and writing skills based on cultural and literary texts appropriate to this level. prereq: 1012 or placement or instr consent
NAIS 2012 - Intermediate Anishinaabe Language II (HUM)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Review of the essential structural patterns of the Anishinaabe language; continued development of oral, aural, reading, and writing skills based on cultural and literary texts appropriate to this level. prereq: 2011 or placement or instr consent