American Indian Studies

We are still here! Native Communities in America

 

What will I learn?

Our Native American ancestors were resilient. They had to be. They lived on the edge. Their communities depended on constantly changing streams, creeks, bayous, rivers, lakes, gulfs and oceans. Water brought vitality, but too little or too much could also wreak devastation. Their communities were also constantly changing as a result of internal strife and external forces.

Through AIS courses, students will study:

• Historical pressures that influenced community structures;
• Struggles to preserve Native languages, cultures, health, wellbeing and sovereignty;
• Native arts, games, clothing, foodways and other cultural practices;
• And other aspects of Indigenous American cultures.

 

Faculty Affiliates

MEET OUR DIRECTORS AND AFFILIATE FACULTY

Do you have a question about the American Indian Studies program? Click above to get the contact information for the director. 

 

Faculty Spotlight

 

Patrolling the Border focuses on a late eighteenth-century conflict between Creek Indians and Georgians. Dr. Joshua S. Haynes argues that the period should be viewed as the struggle of non-state indigenous people to develop an effective method of resisting colonization. Using database and digital mapping applications, Dr. Haynes identifies one such method of resistance: a pattern of Creek raiding best described as politically motivated border patrols. Read more

 

Career Pathways

A minor in American Indian Studies can be paired with any major, and in many cases, students can get an American Indian Studies minor without taking any more credit hours than they would need to take for their major alone.

 

The minor prepares students to work in settings that require: cross-cultural understanding, interaction with diverse populations, civic engagement and community development, and creative solving skills. In many career fields, having the ability to interact more effectively with diverse peoples is increasingly important. 

 

Affiliations

 

 

Availability