Native American Studies

Dr. Tiffany S. Lee, Chair
Native American Studies
Mesa Vista Hall Room 3080
MSC06 3740
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-3917, FAX (505) 277-1818
Web site: http://nas.unm.edu

Faculty
Tiffany S. Lee, Ph.D., Chair and Professor - Native American Studies
Gregory A. Cajete, Ph.D., Professor - Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies; Native American Studies
Lloyd L. Lee, Ph.D., Associate Professor - Native American Studies
Leola Tsinnajinnie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor - Native American Studies
Wendy Greyeyes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor - Native American Studies
Melanie Yazzie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor - Native American Studies; American Studies


The Native American Studies Center was founded in 1970 as a support program for Native American students at The University of New Mexico. In 1980, the Native American Studies Center became two units: Native American Studies (NAS) and American Indian Student Services. In September 1998, NAS became an interdisciplinary academic program housed in University College. In 1999, the undergraduate minor in Native American Studies was approved. The Native American Studies minor is applicable to all undergraduate majors offered by The University of New Mexico.

In December 2004, the UNM Board of Regents approved Native American Studies as an undergraduate major within University College. In February 2018, the State of New Mexico Board of Finance approved the addition of the Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies. As an interdisciplinary academic department, Native American Studies is committed to Native academic scholarship and research excellence. Our goal is to educate and inform students about the Native experience that comes from the rich cultural heritage of the sovereign Indigenous peoples of the United States. Another goal is to create a department that collaborates with Native communities and engages students in nation building.

UNM-NAS provides a range of academic resources for the student, the University community, and the larger Native American community. In keeping with the Memorandum of Understanding with New Mexico Indian Tribes, UNM-NAS program places particular emphasis on addressing community-based education, research and leadership development needs of New Mexico Indian communities. UNM-NAS is organized into three major components: Academic, Research and Community.

  • Academic: an extensive array of courses, internships, and independent study that emphasizes the Native American experience and experiential learning.
  • Research: a component of every Native American Studies course provides training and experience in doing research in a Native American context. The Research component also provides research opportunities and assistantships to Native students currently in graduate degree programs. Incorporated into the Research Component is the NAS library. This collection of materials (3,000 volumes) by and about Native Americans (books, journals, articles, research papers, video and audiotapes) including the highly prized Reno Collection, is available to students, the University community and the larger Native community. The family of Philip Reno donated the Reno Collection to NAS. The collection consists of materials that Philip Reno utilized in his book, Navajo Resources and Economic Development (1988) University of New Mexico Press.
  • Community: NAS provides academically related activities for the larger community. NAS hosts forums, seminars, symposiums, and conferences that bring Indigenous scholars to the university campus. NAS offers specialized courses, workshops and programming to connect the UNM Native community and the larger Native community together.

Courses

NATV 1150 [150]. Introduction to Native American Studies. (3)



NATV 2110 [250]. Sociopolitical Concepts in Native America. (3)



NATV 2140 [251]. Research Issues in Native America. (3)



NATV 252. The Native American Experience. (3)



NATV 255. Topics in Native American Studies. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NATV 300. Research Methods in Native American Contexts. (3)



NATV 305. Indigenous Self-Determination in Education. (3)



NATV 315. Language Recovery, Revitalization and Community Renewal. (3)



NATV 325. Tribal Government. (3)



NATV 326. Tribal Gaming. (3)



NATV 348. Native American Activism. (3)



NATV 351. Individual Study. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NATV 352. Internship. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NATV 385. Indigenous Worldviews. (3)



NATV 402 / 502. Education, Power and Indigenous Communities. (3)



NATV *423. Self-Determination and Indigenous Human Rights. (3)



NATV 424 / 524. Principles of Leadership in Indigenous Contexts. (3)



NATV *436. Environmental Ethics and Justice in Native America. (3)



NATV *445. Politics of Identity. (3)



NATV *450. Topics in Native American Studies. (1-3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



NATV *461. Community-Based Learning in Indigenous Contexts. (3)



NATV *462. Native American Narrative. (3)



NATV *474. Seminar: Applying Traditions of Native American Philosophy. (3)



NATV *480. Building Native Nations: Community Revitalization, Culture, Decolonization, and Indigenous Thought. (3)



NATV *486. Contemporary and Traditional Views on Indigenous Leadership. (3)



NATV 502 / 402. Education, Power and Indigenous Communities. (3)



NATV 522. Indigenous Community Approaches in Restorative Justice. (3)



NATV 524 / 424. Principles of Leadership in Indigenous Contexts. (3)



NATV 530. Gender and Indigenous Leadership. (3)



NATV 535. Issues in Contemporary Native Leadership. (3)



NATV 540. Indigenous Economies, Sustainability, and Environmental Protection. (3)



NATV 550. Indigenous Nations and Sustainable Communities Seminar. (3)



NATV 555. Native American Policy and Community Building. (3)



NATV 560. Research Method and Practice in Indigenous Scholarship. (3)



NATV 570. Indigenous Thought and Ethics. (3)



NATV 590. Project of Excellence. (3 or 6, may be repeated once Δ [6])



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Office of the Registrar

MSC11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
Fax: (505) 277-6809