ANTH 235 - Indigenous Peoples of North America

Indigenous Peoples of North America (ANTH 235) is an introductory anthropology course. The purpose of this course is to gain an indigenous and anthropological perspective of the various indigenous cultures of North America.

The continent of North America has a long history, but it is a history we don’t often hear about in books. This story starts 14,000 years ago during the last ice age when groups of people migrated to North America from Asia. It continues through the rise and decline of civilizations across the North American landscape, through the Age of Discovery and the colonial era we all learn about in grade school, through the birth of the United States and Canada. But so much of what we know is only a part of this story. The people who first came to this land are still here—often invisible to our eyes—and they have their own story to tell. Who are they, why are they invisible, and what might they add to this story? Explore the answers to these questions in Indians of North America. We will learn about the rich cultures that exist all around us, how these cultures are living in the contemporary world, and what the people of these cultures have to say about their lives.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Elucidate the political, economic, social, and ideological systems and organizations of several Native American and First Nation cultures, and illustrate similarities and differences among them
• Elaborate historical processes that have impacted Indigenous North American cultures, and how these cultures have changed over time
• Articulate some contemporary issues associated with Native North American cultures
• Understand Indigenous perspectives concerning many themes, such as land, the environment, identity, history, spirituality, politics, art, cultural property, development, and knowledge