Course Descriptions

IS 121: Introduction to Indian Studies

This course provides students with an overview of Native North American cultures and societies, as well as with the historical background to understand issues that contemporary Native societies are facing. The class looks at cultures, culture change, and culture contact, and the course gives students a framework with which they can approach and understand cultural difference and similarities, as well as historical and contemporary culture change. The class also investigates the methods of investigating cultures and history, and the problems with these approaches. This course discusses both historical and contemporary issues facing Native communities.

This is an introductory course; such courses have to cover a broad field in a short amount of time, and therefore require quite a bit of reading. This is, at least in part, a reading intensive course.

IS 151: White Images of Native Americans

IS 171: Hollywood Indians

A summer class exploring the portrayal and roles of American Indians in feature films from the early 20th century to the early 21st century, and what we can learn from these films. American Indians have played roles in feature films from the start of the film industry. This class discusses what historical, social, and cultural lessons we can learn from the ways in which they and their causes have been portrayed, and how the issues and pictures portrayed in movies are connected to current political and social ideas. This is not simply a class in which films are shown; students read several articles and discuss movies in depth, and with academic goals and rigor.

IS 201: History of the Sioux

This class introduces the societies and cultures of Siouan speakers over time, focusing mostly on Lakota/Dakota groups, with an emphasis from the 17th century to the early 20th century. The Sioux, as a group of Native American tribes was named by the French missionaries, fur traders, and explorers, are some of the best-known and most stereotyped Indian societies of North America. The history of "the Sioux" is multifaceted and involves many groups. In this course, one of three investigating the history of North Dakotan tribes, the focus lies on the societies of the Seven Councilfires through time, while other Siouan groups, such as the Assiniboine, Chiwere and Dhegiha, are discussed only in passing. Because the history of any society and culture involves also other groups – neighbors near and far – other Indian and non-Indian historic developments necessarily form a part of this course.

In this class, students learn more about one of the major historical and contemporary social groups in North Dakota and on the northern Plains.

IS 203 History of the Chippewa

A study of the development of Chippewa (Anishinabe, Ojibwe) society from its origins to the present. Topics include origin traditions, development of cultural distinctiveness, relations with other tribes and with French, English, and Americans, treaties, and current political, cultural, and economic status.

IS 207: History of the Three Affiliated Tribes

IS 212: Trade in Native North America

IS 220: Indians in Children's Literature

Students will be introduced to the joys of children's literature with a focus on American Indians. Learning will include reading and reviewing Indian subject books appropriate for pre-school, elementary, and secondary children; applying criteria for the selection of appropriate books; and practicing evaluative writing. Outstanding authors, illustrators, and books will be featured and discussed. Students will learn to analyze the issues involved in ethnic literature including stereotyping, insensitivity, and accuracy.

IS 240 Research and Writing

IS 250: Lakota Language I

This is the first of two Lakota language classes for beginning speakers.

This course is the beginning language course for Lakota. You will start learning the language, with an emphasis on oral communication skills. This is a two-semester course; by the end of the second semester, you will have a basic understanding of Lakota, and students will be able to form phrases of your own and translate simple texts. In order to understand the way this Siouan language works, we will also cover some social and cultural aspects that influence the linguistics and usage involved.

This is a language class: we will not simply learn month names, animals, colors, or set expressions. Lakota deserves just as much respect as any other language. Students learn Lakota grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure, so that they will be able to form their own sentences and express their own thoughts in Lakota.

IS 251: Lakota Language II

This is the second of two Lakota language classes for beginning speakers.

This course is the second part of the beginning language course for Lakota. Students continue learning the language, with an emphasis on oral communication skills. This is a two-semester course; by the end of the second semester, students will have a basic understanding of Lakota and will be able to form phrases and translate simple texts. In order to understand the way this Siouan language works, the class also covers some social and cultural aspects that influence the linguistics and usage involved.

This is a language class: we will not simply learn month names, animals, colors, or set expressions. Lakota deserves just as much respect as any other language. Students learn Lakota grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure, so that they will be able to form their own sentences and express their own thoughts in Lakota.

IS 255: Survey of Native American Arts

IS 311 Health and American Indian Cultures

Health topics are some of the most pressing issues facing indigenous communities in North America, whether reservation/reserve or urban communities. Since the middle of the twentieth century, indigenous peoples have consistently been showing higher rates of many diseases, as well as addiction rates, and have a life expectancy that is about ten years less than the average American. The health issues range from HIV/AIDS to diabetes, alcoholism, cardiovascular diseases, to depression and suicide. While there is a definite place to address these issues in a medical way, there is also a need to address them in a cultural and social way and to explore what cultural and social consequences the numbers have, why there is a gap between average Americans and indigenous communities, what traditions and innovations of healing exist in Native communities, and what caregivers should know about indigenous cultures before going to work there.

IS 330: Contemporary Plains Indian Cultures

The second of two classes providing an overview of the history and cultures of the indigenous societies of the Great Plains, this course focuses on the 20th century. This course explores contemporary Plains Indian societies and cultures. It looks at cultural changes, issues facing contemporary cultures and societies, and situations on reservations. Contemporary "Plains Indian" cultures for the purpose of this course will be those that historically showed some characteristics of the anthropological "Plains Culture Area". "Contemporary" means cultures during the time of reservations, from about 1870 to today, or in other words after European domination was established.

While this course certainly builds on IS 331, "Traditional Plains Indian Cultures", there are no prerequisites for attendance.

IS 331: Traditional Plains Indian Cultures

The first of two classes providing an overview of the history and cultures of the indigenous societies of the Great Plains, this course covers the time from first settlement to the beginning of the reservation period at the end of the 19th century. This class explores the traditional societies and cultures of the Plains. It takes a look at their histories, cultures, social and political organizations, and interactions with each other. The course title already offers at least two essential problems: What is the meaning of "traditional", and what is the meaning of "Plains" cultures in this context? For the purposes of this course, the meaning of traditional will be "before direct contact with Euro-Americans." This definition, however, covers several thousand years, and changing societies and cultures. The course therefore starts with an archaeological overview, and covers the time until European domination. "Plains" cultures for the purpose of this course will be those that show some characteristics of the anthropological "Plains Culture Area". This excludes a detailed, direct investigation of agricultural tribes, but leaves a huge area to discuss, inhabited by societies that showed remarkably similar cultural traits integrated in very distinct cultures.

IS 346: American Indian Women

IS 350: Native American Languages

This course provides an overview of Native American languages, the connection of culture to language, and other discussions of language structure and linguistics as they pertain to Native North America.

Language and language revitalization are among the most important issues facing Native American cultures today. This course introduces students to the basics of linguistics (the structure of language), socio-linguistics (the uses of language in societies and cultures) and differences between written and oral language, and will provide an overview of Native American languages. The class discusses the connection of culture to language, how language changes over time, and how languages work. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of how language really works, and how we, as human beings from different cultures and societies, use it every day. This is an intensive and extremely rewarding course. It introduces students to extremely important concepts, such as structure, classification, and rigorous analysis.

IS 352: American Indian Philosophical Thought

IS 360: Oral Traditions in Native American Cultures

IS 370: North American Indians

Examines the development and evolution of American Indian societies in North America. Students will learn about the cultures of American Indian tribes, tribal interactions, and key aspects of American Indian history. The course begins with origin traditions and archaeological knowledge concerning origins and moves to an examination of the Paleo-Indian, Archaic, and Woodland Eras and then moves to the development of tribes. Tribal relationships with European colonists and the United States will be examined through the development of reservations and the emergence of reservation sovereignty.

IS 371: Reservation Government and Politics

Places the more than 300 tribal governments in the context of Indian and United States history. Examines the development of contemporary tribal governments with emphasis on their place as the third form of government in the United States. The concepts of sovereignty, tribal jurisdiction, and the efforts of tribal governments to govern well are analyzed with attention to the characteristics of contemporary Indian societies. Attention will be given to Indian political cultures.

IS 379: Special Topics

Changing classes of special interest, taught once in a while or on demand.

IS 380: Indians in the 21st Century

IS 385: American Indian Economic Development

The course explores American Indian economic development issues, initiatives, and concepts as of necessity linked to globalization and global social, economic, cultural, and political issues. Despite the relief that the opening of Indian gambling operation has brought to some reservations, the economic picture for Indian Country is often still dismal. Indian reservations, like other communities, face economic challenges that are linked in part to globalization. While participating in a global economy, they aim to protect certain aspects of traditional values and cultures from the impact the global market has on them. In this regard, Native Americans fit into a larger picture of indigenous economic, social and political issues, which has often been described as the "Third World." This course explores concepts of globalization, economic underdevelopment, dependency, and world systems to better understand the reasons for this situation, as well as potential solutions for economically sustainable development efforts. It provides a much-needed socio-economic background with which students can analyze the larger dynamics of localization and globalization, of free markets and outsourcing. In this class, students apply the historical, economic, political, and cultural issues to their own ideas of economic development for Indian Country: the class thus also provides a necessary experience to hone critical thinking skills in a simulated practical application.

IS 388: American Indians and Ecology

How did and do cultures interact with their environment? This class provides answers from cultural ecology with a focus on historical and contemporary North American Indian societies. American Indian societies are and have often been portrayed as "ecological Indians," living in harmony with nature, an idea that goes back to the European concept of romanticism and the "noble savage." This course explores the basic concepts of cultural ecology. It draws from several historical and contemporary case studies, and employs the general concepts of cultural ecology to better understand the complex interactions between indigenous peoples in North America and their environments. Students also explore the dominant society, and the ways in which images of environmental interaction are invented, distorted, and used. Because of the prevalence of the ecological Indian stereotype, and the importance of an understanding of ecosystem approaches to cultures in general, this course provides a necessary bridge between the social and natural sciences.

IS 410 Identity in Native North America

Before we can talk about any society or culture, we need to know who the people are, how they differentiate themselves from others, and how their neighbors differentiate themselves from that group. In North America, for many reasons, the methods and structures of group identifications changed fundamentally with the arrival of Europeans. Responses to colonialism and oppression, other minority groups, outside definitions, a shift from cultural to biological criteria, as well as welfare programs and economic opportunities have since shaped the identities of indigenous peoples in North America. "Who is an American Indian?" and "What does this classification mean?" are therefore two of the main questions in need of an answer before any other question in Indian Studies can be tackled. This course attempts to lead students to some answers and also gives an overview of identity formation processes in general. This knowledge forms the basis for an informed approach not only to Indian Studies, but to cultures and societies, i.e., social sciences, in general.

IS 415: History of American Indian Education

IS 420: History of Federal Indian Law and Policy

Knowing the foundations of American Indian law and policy is necessary for understanding contemporary Indian relationships within the United States. This course analyzes the policies of the United States toward American Indians and their governments since 1781. Students will learn the key components of imperialism, colonialism, Self-government, Termination and Self-Determination policies. Students will learn the meaning of the Marshall decisions, treaties and key federal court decisions that shape American Indian law and the cultural-political philosophies that guided them. Emphasis will be on the impact of federal Indian law on Indians and their governments.

IS 425: Tribal Colleges and Higher Education

This course examines the phenomenon of the development and operations of tribal colleges since the 1960s and their place in higher education. Emphasis will be on the missions of tribal colleges, their effects on tribal societies, and aspects of tribal college strengths and concerns. Students will conduct research on various facets of tribal colleges and tribal college students.

IS 430: Internship

IS 492: Directed Readings in Indian Studies

IS 494: Independent Study in Indian Studies