Native American Studies (NAS) was founded in 1970 as an ethnic studies center. Initially, it was established as a support program for Native American students at The University of New Mexico. In September 1998, Native American Studies became an interdisciplinary academic program housed in University College. In 1999, the 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 a major within University College. 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 Outreach.
Courses
NATV 150.
Introduction to Native American Studies.
(3)
This course surveys the significance of Native American Studies through an inter-disciplinary approach to four major areas of academic concentrations; Arts and Literature, Education and Language, Cultural Studies and Environment, and Leadership and Self-determination.
NATV 247.
Politics of Native American Art.
(3)
Native American art and artists within political, social and cultural contexts are introduced through an examination of the history of representations of Native art.
NATV 250.
Sociopolitical Concepts in Native America.
(3)
Regional, national, and international laws and policies impacting sovereign Native American nations and communities are analyzed. Concepts such as colonization, nationalism, and globalization’s impact on Native American peoples are considered from an inter-disciplinary perspective.
Pre- or corequisite: 150.
NATV 251.
Research Issues in Native America.
(3)
Critically examines research theories, methodologies, and practices used by academic disciplines to study Native Americans. Research databases and collections and their impact and value for Native communities are considered from an inter-disciplinary perspective.
Pre- or corequisite: 150 or 250.
NATV 252.
The Native American Experience.
(3)
(Also offered as AMST 252)
Introductory survey of Native American history, culture and contemporary issues. Students read literature by and about Native Americans covering a variety of topics including tribal sovereignty, federal policy, activism, economic development, education and community life.
NATV 255.
Topics in Native American Studies.
(1-3 to a maximum of 6 ?)
Topics courses taught by Native and non-Native faculty from The University of New Mexico and the community, varying according to instructor’s expertise. May be repeated as topic varies.
NATV 300.
Research Methods in Native American Contexts.
(3)
Examination of the research processes and techniques involving various methodological designs. Emphasizes attention to culturally appropriate research and protocols for conducting research in Native communities. Includes practical experience conducting a research project involving Native American issues.
Prerequisite: 251.
NATV 305.
Indigenous Self-Determination in Education.
(3)
Examines the role of Indigenous people and communities in self-determining their education by redefining educational approaches and curriculum for Indigenous students. Special emphasis on resistance to assimilation practices and policies.
NATV 311.
Native Americans in Film.
(3)
Examines the personal and political nature of filmmaking in films and videos produced by Native Americans over the past two decades. Additional emphasis will be on the cultural aesthetics of both documentary and fictional stories within an inter-disciplinary context.
NATV 315.
Language Recovery, Revitalization & Community Renewal.
(3)
Examines Native language loss from the boarding school era to current trends in language planning and revitalization. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of language to culture and on current community renewal efforts by Native people.
NATV 322.
Principles of Federal Indian Law.
(3)
Principles and basic doctrines of Federal Indian Law are examined within an inter-disciplinary context.
NATV 324.
Contemporary Approaches to Federal Indian Law.
(3)
Critical analysis of the traditional Federal Indian law paradigm. Consideration of alternative analyses predicated on inherent sovereignty and emerging international indigenous human rights norms from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Prerequisite: 322.
NATV 325.
Tribal Government.
(3)
While emphasizing the study of traditional American Indian society in comparison with government models of the United States, the course examines the governing structure of Indian tribes from both a historical and contemporary perspective.
NATV 326.
Tribal Gaming.
(3)
This course covers the law and the politics of gaming as an exercise of tribal sovereignty, and examines tribal, state, and federal interests involved in the uniquely tribal enterprise of Native Nation building.
NATV 342.
Native America Post-1940.
(3)
Connell-Szasz
(Also offered as HIST 348)
Course will address issues that Native Americans have dealt with from World War II to the early 21st century, including termination, urbanization, Red Power, gaming and self-determination.
NATV 346.
Native America to 1850.
(3)
Connell-Szasz
(Also offered as HIST 346)
This course will cover American Indian/Alaska Native history to 1850.
NATV *347.
American Indians Post?1860.
(3)
Connell-Szasz
(Also offered as HIST 347 and 547)
The course will cover American Indian/Alaska Native history from 1860 to the present.
NATV 348.
Native American Activism.
(3)
Inter-disciplinary examination of the histories, strategies, successes, and shortcomings of Native American activist movements. Course focuses on pan-Indian organizations, localized grassroots movements, treaty rights, anti-treaty rights organizations, and inter-nationalist alliances.
NATV 351.
Individual Study.
(1-6 to a maximum of 6 ?)
Directed topics related to Native American Studies.
NATV 352.
Internship.
(1-6 to a maximum of 6 ?)
Internships in off-campus learning experiences related to the study of Native American cultures. Students, in collaboration with NATV Senior Academic Advisor, may select a sponsoring institution or program to oversee internship.
NATV 361.
Native American Children?s Literature.
(3)
Representations of Native peoples in children’s literature examined for stereotypes and misrepresentations. Emphasis on developing criteria for evaluating children’s books, writing critical reviews and writing and/or illustrating their own children’s story.
NATV 385.
Indigenous Worldviews.
(3)
This course offers an inter-disciplinary academic exploration of perspectives on Indigenous arts and literature, cultures, education, language, and language re-vitalization. The environment and the emerging international legal norm of self-determination for Indigenous peoples are also examined.
NATV *402.
Education, Power and Indigenous Communities.
(3)
How economic, political and social power influences the education of indigenous youth is the emphasis of the course. Topics include who defines the concept of an “educated person” and in what contexts.
NATV *411.
Indigenous Performing Arts Forum.
(3)
In-depth investigation of contemporary indigenous performing arts practices, including poetry, theatre, dance, music, and new modes of creative expression. Analysis of creativity and indigenous aesthetics in contemporary performing arts are examined from an inter-disciplinary context.
NATV *417.
Native American Music.
(3)
Williams
(Also offered as MUS 417)
Survey course on the music of Native North American Indians, covering traditional repertoires, cultural context of musical performances, musical styles and relationship to dance.
{Fall}
NATV *418.
Alaska Native Music and Culture.
(3)
Williams
(Also offered as MUS 418)
Study of traditional Alaska Native music by region and culture group. Use of interdisciplinary methods to examine the historical and social dynamics behind changing musical traditions. Fundamentals of contemporary world music theory and research methods.
{Spring, alternate years}
NATV *421.
Treaties and Agreements.
(3)
Selected treaties between the U.S. and Native nations are critically examined. Emphasis is on the history of the treaty making process and other types of agreements between the sovereign Native nations and the United States.
NATV *422.
Indigenous World Music.
(3)
Williams
(Also offered as MUS 422)
An introduction to the indigenous music of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia, including issues of change, adaptation and contemporary cultural influences on music traditions.
{Spring, alternate years}
NATV *423.
Self-Determination and Indigenous Human Rights.
(3)
Analyzes the emerging norm of self-determination and its impact on indigenous peoples in the international legal system. Colonization, liberation, and the political futures of culturally distinct peoples are examined from inter-disciplinary perspectives.
NATV 430.
Conservation and Indigenous Peoples.
(3)
Trotter
Cultural diversity fosters biodiversity. Students work on conservation projects initiated by native ecologist on Southwestern native lands. Short field trips and Fall break field trip.
NATV *433.
Native American Ecology, Demography and Disease.
(3)
Relationships between Native ecologies and lifeways, and their impacts on both as a result of contact and colonization are examined. Demographic changes and decimation of Native populations from both disease and biological warfare are also examined.
NATV *436.
Environmental Ethics and Justice in Native America.
(3)
Complex ways in which Native peoples form relationships with their environment are examined. Differences and similarities between Native and dominant cultural conceptions of the environment and environmental justices are considered within an inter-disciplinary context.
NATV *441.
Culture Study of Indigenous Video.
(3)
(Also offered as ANTH 341)
Videos produced by indigenous peoples in the western hemisphere will be used to examine cultures within modern and historical contexts that address political, personal and social concerns which invite new questions about indigenous history and cultural understanding.
NATV *445.
Politics of Identity.
(3)
Examines Native identities in law, biology, culture, and via self-identification within an inter-disciplinary context. Discussion will focus on federal intrusions, misappropriations, and adaptations that strengthen the sovereignty of Native Nations.
Restriction: junior or senior standing
NATV *450.
Topics in Native American Studies.
(1-3 to a maximum of 12 ?)
Topics courses taught by faculty from The University of New Mexico and the surrounding community which vary according to the instructor’s expertise.
{Fall, Spring}
NATV *460.
Language and Education in Southwest Native American Communities.
(3)
(Also offered as LLSS 460/560 and LING 436/536)
This course explores the historical context of education and its impact on Native American communities of the Southwest. Topics include native language acquisition, bilingualism, language shift, and language revitalization efforts in native communities and schools.
NATV *461.
Community-Based Learning in Indigenous Contexts.
(3)
Explores the meanings of “Indigenous education” through current scholarship and through active participation in a community-based setting. Examines Indigenous educational traditions and their applications for contemporary practices while engaging in community-based learning and service.
NATV *462.
Native American Narrative.
(3)
Native American stories function much like food for the soul. Students will learn an inter-disciplinary context how ancestral and contemporary stories, oral and written, continue to represent the thoughts, values and life ways of Native people.
NATV 466.
Native American Southwest.
(3)
Truett
(Also offered as HIST 466)
In this class we will explore the history of Native American groups and their relationships to dominant cultures and nations in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico.
NATV *474.
Traditions of Native American Philosophy.
(3)
An examination of philosophical thought by Native peoples in both historic and modern context in science, government, law, education, psychology, and cosmology. Native social systems and Native philosophical contributions to the world’s societies are examined.
Restriction: junior or senior standing
NATV *477.
Archaeology in Native American Studies.
(3)
Issues of conflict in historical and current archaeological practices and their impacts on Native American traditional culture are examined. The differences between Native culture and science are also examined.
NATV *480.
Building Native Nations: Community Revitalization, Culture, Decolonization, and Indigenous Thought.
(3)
This course critically engages Indigenous community revitalization dynamics and its relationship to culture, Indigenous thought, and decolonization. Principals relating to political sovereignty, cultural self-determination, economic viability, social and economic justice, and strategic planning underlie the notion of Nation Building for Native people.
Restriction: junior or senior standing
NATV *481.
Spirit of Place.
(3)
The meaning of place in our lives and its particular importance to understanding Native identity and culture is examined. Focus in on how we relate to place and how Native writers and poets convey a “sense” or “spirit” of place in their work.
NATV *486.
Contemporary and Traditional Views on Indigenous Leadership.
(3)
This course critically examines contemporary and traditional perspectives on Indigenous leadership. Also, the course will theorize on indigenous leadership development. The topics covered include overviews of Indigenous philosophy, Indigenous community, and Indigenous leadership.
Prerequisite: 322 or 324 or 325 or 326 or 421 or 423 or 445 or 480. Restriction: junior or senior standing.
NATV *488.
Two-Spirit Traditions of Native America.
(3)
The diversity of two-spirit traditions of the sovereign Native nations in historical and modern contexts is examined. Works of contemporary Native poets and writers who address the two-spirit experience will be read and discussed.
