Contemporary American Indian Issues
AIST 401 – Spring 2010
Welcome to our course entitled, Contemporary American Indian Issues. I am your instructor, Rodney Frey, and will be greatly assisted by faculty affiliates and guest speakers. My office is in Phinney Hall, Room 116, with office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 9:30 to noon or by appointment.
Intertribal Encampment |
While there are NO prerequisites, students are encouraged to have completed the following courses (or their equivalents):
ANTH 329 – North American Indians
ENGL 484 – American Indian Literature
HIST 431 – History of Indian-White Relations
I can be reached at:
Our textbooks include:
Duane Champagne, ed., Contemporary Native American Cultural Issues. 1999
Troy Johnson, ed., Contemporary Native American Political Issues. 1999
Indian Country Today - (newspaper; to be read regularly; location: U of I Library, Periodicals Collection, 2nd floor or from this link)
Suggested Readings and Web Sites:
Class Days/Times and Location:
Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 to 10:45
TBD
To go to:
Schedule of Topics, Assignments, and Sessions
Web Links to Tribal and Other Informational Sites (listed by region)
Course Description:
This capstone seminar is designed to allow students an opportunity to first synthesize the varied information obtained from previous American Indian Studies courses into a coherent yet distinctive methodology and knowledge base. And second, with this AIST perspective, students can more fully identify and address the challenges facing contemporary Indian communities, especially that of the reservation communities. Among some of the issues addressed will be Indian sovereignty and religious/cultural freedoms; cultural continuity, assimilation and the role of the elders; economic development; bilingual education and language preservation; reservation law and the legal system; the emergence of Indian artists and writers; cultural and natural resource management; repatriation; Indian education; health care delivery; issues of tribal, state, and federal government; and International Indigenous Rights.This seminar is collaboratively, team taught. A number of faculty affiliates and guest speakers from the Indian community, such as elders, artists and writers, cultural and natural resource managers, educators, health care providers, government officials, will offer their insights and give presentations throughout the semester. This is a seminar designed for both Indian and non-Indian students.
Grade Distribution:
Your final grade will be based upon the total points (200 possible) earned during the semester. Each assignment is worth 33% of your grade and 66 points apiece. In cases of boarder-line decisions, your questions and discussions brought up during class will be taken into consideration. The following scale will help determine your grade: 180-200 (90%-100%) = A, 160-179 (80%-89%) = B, 140-159 (70%-79%) = C, 120-139 (60%-69%) = D
from Indian Country Today 10-18-2000
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