COURSE SYLLABUS

INS 260

Contemporary American Indians

MWF 1:20-2:20 Spr. ‘04

Foss 20

 

Instructor: Eric Buffalohead (buffaloe@augsburg.edu)

Office: 106 Murphy Place

Office hours: M 11-1, Tu. 5-6 and by appt.

Office phone: 330-1661

 

Course Description:

This course examines the situation of American Indians in the United States since the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Emphasis is on current issues such as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, reservation economics and Indian education.

 

Students Rights and responsibilities :

All students have the right to use the College Counseling and Student Development staff services, as well as to receive tutoring assistance from the writing lab program. The Augsburg College policy on academic honesty applies to this course. Attendance is mandatory.

 

Required texts:

The State of Native America. M. Annette Jaimes (ed.)

American Indian Studies. Dane Morrison (ed.)

Native American Issues. Paul Rosier

Course grade will consist of:

                                                            Mid-term        25%     2/27

                                                            Final                25%     4/26

                                                            Paper               20%     4/19

                                                            Assignmt's (3) 30%     2/6, 3/5, 4/2    

 

Exams will have a variety of formats including multiple choice, matching, short identification, short answer or short essay.

 

The research paper should be 3-5 pages in length. Topics should explore current issue facing American Indians ( mascots, treaty rights, land claims,etc.). Topics can either be from materials covered in class or from outside of class activities. All topics must be cleared through the instructor. This paper should include at least four references in the bibliography and must be properly cited or it will not be accepted. If you do not know how to properly cite a paper then you should consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, by Gibeldi and Achtert, which is available at most libraries.

 

 

 

The Assignments for this course involve reading an Indian Newspaper (The Circle, Indian Country Today, etc.) and writing a 2-3 page paper about it. The paper should contain a brief overview of the entire newspaper and then focus on one article that you found of particular interest. You must do this three times during the semester. Papers will be due on 2/6, 3/5 and 4/2. Each Assignment will count for 10% of your grade.

 

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

 

WEEK ONE: Native Voice/Demography of North America 1/12,14,16

READING: Morrison 5-22, Jaimes 23-46, Rosier xi-xv

 

WEEK TWO: American Indian Activism. 1/21,23

READING: Jaimes 100-112

 

WEEK THREE: Federal Indian Policy. 1/26,28,30

READING: Jaimes 55-79, 87-100

 

WEEK FOUR: Who is an Indian?/Leonard Peltier Case. 2/2,4,6 **1st Assignment due 2/6**

READING: Jaimes 123-137,291-306, Morrison 47-65

 

WEEK FIVE: Treaty Rights. 2/9,11,13

READING: Jaimes 189-211

 

WEEK SIX: Treaty Rights. 2/16,18,20

READING: Jaimes 217-236, Rosier 31-53

 

WEEK SEVEN: Treaty Rights. 2/23,25,27 **Midterm 2/27**

READING: Jaimes 139-177, Rosier 61-81

 

WEEK EIGHT: Sovereignty/Reservation Economics. 3/1,3,5 **2^nd Assign due 3/5**

READING: Jaimes 241-262, Morrison 121-137, Rosier 145-167

 

WEEK NINE: Reservation Economics. 3/8,10,12

READING: Morrison 145-190, Rosier 113-138

 

WEEK TEN: Spring Break 3/15,17,19

READING: none

WEEK ELEVEN: Indian Education. 3/22,24,26

READING: Jaimes 371-394, Morrison 71-116

 

WEEK TWELVE: Language. 3/29,31, 4/2, **3^rd assignment due 4/2**

READING: Morrison 27-41

 

WEEK THIRTEEN: Religion. 4/5,7

READING: Jaimes 267-287, 403-418, Morrison 195-228, 313-331

 

WEEK FOURTEEN: Mascots/Hollywood’s Indian. 4/12,14,16

READING: Morrison 335-379, Jaimes 423-437, Rosier 1-22

 

WEEK FIFTEEN: Hollywood’s Indian/ Repatriation. 4/19,21,23 **Papers due 4191**

READING: Morrison 391-410, Rosier 87-105

 

Final Exam-Monday April 26. 1-3 pm. Foss 20.