ANTH 266 - Indigenous Cultures of North America

3 Credit: (3 lecture, 0 lab, 0 clinical) 3 Contact Hours: [Reading Level 2 and Writing Level 2 ]

This course is designed to introduce and explore the historical, cultural and contemporary traditions of the Indigenous peoples of North America. It will take a broad historical and anthropological approach in order to make productive intellectual connections between pre-colonial practices and post-colonial practices. Students will be introduced to the rich diversity of cultural practices of Indigenous peoples, examine the devastating effects of colonization, explore the cross-cultural perspectives from Indigenous groups across the continent in order to shed light on contemporary issues facing Indigenous peoples today. Emphasis is placed on the Anishinaabeg, the Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes region. Travel to local indigineous communities may be required.
OFFERED: fall semesters

Course Goals/ Objectives/ Competencies:
Goal 1: Explore the dynamic variety of Indigenous cultures throughout North America.

Compare & contrast Indigenous cultural practice throughout North America
Differentiate Indigenous histories throughout North America
Identify benchmark achievements made by Indigenous people of North America
Characterize colonization’s effects on Indigenous cultures in North America

Goal 2: Examine historical misrepresentations of Indigenous cultures across the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Identify historical ethnographic approaches to the study of Indigenous peoples
Critique historical ethnographic approaches to the study of Indigenous peoples

Goal 3: Examine contemporary issues within Indigenous communities across North America.

Identify contemporary ethnographic approaches to the study of Indigenous peoples
Critique contemporary ethnographic approaches to the study of Indigenous peoples