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Major and Minor

Students develop an individual program that reflects their interest but is built on certain required courses to ensure that they acquire a common body of substantive knowledge, gain exposure to crucial ways of critical thinking, and explore several essential approaches to Native American and Indigenous Studies. For all major, modified major, and minor requests and questions, please contact the chair, N. Bruce Duthu n.bruce.duthu@dartmouth.edu

 

Revised Requirements for the NAIS Major

  • Prerequisite: Native American and Indigenous Studies 8
  • One course in Literature and Languages: Native American and Indigenous Studies 31, 32, 34, 35, 41, or 47
  • One course in History and Culture: Native American and Indigenous Studies 10, 14, 15, 18, 19, 42, 55
  • One course in Governance and Sovereignty: Native American and Indigenous Studies 20, 25, 36, 44 or 50
  • Culminating Experience: Native American and Indigenous Studies 81.xx or thesis sequence Native American and Indigenous Studies 86 (permission required - see rules) and Native American and Indigenous Studies 87 (see Honors Program)
  • Five electives: (Electives may include courses not already taken from the prerequisite and required course lists)
    • Native American and Indigenous Studies 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 25
    • Native American and Indigenous Studies 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50
    • Native American and Indigenous Studies 80
    • Native American and Indigenous Studies 85 (permission required - see rules)
    • Native American and Indigenous Studies 86 (permission required - see rules)
    • Native American and Indigenous Studies 87 (see Honors Program)

All required courses and most electives are usually offered on an annual basis. However, students should consult the Program for current course offerings and special course offerings for each term.

NAS Modifed Major

We allow students to earn a modified major in NAIS (i.e. NAIS modified with another department or program's courses). We follow the basic model of the college in requiring 6 NAIS courses coupled with 4 courses from another other department or program that, all combined, represent a coherent whole. Furthermore, there will always be one course prerequisite (NAIS 8) in addition to the 6 required courses.

Students must submit a written statement to the chair of NAIS and to the Registrar describing their rational for the modified major as a unified, coherent whole, and detailing the relevance of each planned course to the overall program of study.

Students should also consult the college's general guidelines and procedures for modified majors:

http://dartmouth.smartcatalogiq.com/en/current/orc/Regulations/Undergraduate-Study/Requirements-for-the-
Degree-of-Bachelor-of-Arts/Modified-Major

Requirements for the Minor

In order to qualify for a minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies, a student must successfully complete six courses in the department, as follows

One Prerequisite:

  • Native American and Indigenous Studies 8: Perspectives in Native American and Indigenous Studies
  • Four Elective Courses
  • A Culminating Experience course: Native American and Indigenous Studies 81.xx

Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate:

· Understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Native American & Indigenous Peoples.

· Understanding of Native American & Indigenous Peoples' systems of knowledge in terms of governance/justice; organization and operation of social/cultural systems; understandings of the world; literary/artistic productions; and traditional ecological knowledge.

· Understanding of the legacy of settler colonialism in the lives of Native American & Indigenous Peoples and their societies.