11/21/2024 2:55:30 AM	ETHS 27 Course Outline as of Summer 2025	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  ETHS 27	Title:  AMERICAN INDIANS TODAY
Full Title:  American Indians Today
Last Reviewed:10/11/2021

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  ETHST 27

Catalog Description:

Students will study the development of a greater sensitivity to the American Indian through analysis of ethnocentrism, racialization, and colonialism exhibited in contemporary American pluralistic society. This will be done through the analysis of stereotyping, history, cultural practice, and contemporary issues.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

Students will study the development of a greater sensitivity to the American Indian through analysis of ethnocentrism, racialization, and colonialism exhibited in contemporary American pluralistic society. This will be done through the analysis of stereotyping, history, cultural practice, and contemporary issues.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 2022	Inactive:
Area:	G	American Cultures/Ethnic Studies
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	F	Ethnic Studies		Fall 2022
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	7A	Ethnic Studies		Fall 2023
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2022	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2022	Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Distinguish and compare Native American stereotypes and explain how these stereotypes were created, why they are sustained in modern society, and how they perpetuate the process of racialization, settler colonialism, and eurocentrism.

2. Apply theory and knowledge produced by Native American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences, and social struggles with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation by implementing the process of decolonization and historiography.

3. Analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, age, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, and language.

 

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Identify, compare, and contrast contemporary American Indian people including but not limited to the Pomo, Wappo, Miwok, Lumbee, Luisen~o, Hopi, Diné (Navajo), Mohawk, Cherokee (Tsalági), Mashpee, Pequot, Creek, Seminole, Miwok, Tlingit, Nez Perce, Acoma, Paiute, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Lakota, and Inuit to recognize the diversity within and across American Indian peoples and nations.

2. Analyze the processes of assimilation and acculturation from across cultural and self-reflective perspectives.

3. Identify attitudes and skills that enable students to become informed, appreciative, and sensitive to the American Indian.

4. Identify and explain issues of racism, colonialism, cultural practices, and current social and political issues of American Indians.

5. Examine, compare, and contrast ritual and social interaction of selected Indian nations, organizations, and movements, and place their activities in a larger social and cultural context.

6. Apply the concept of intersectionality with American Indian people of all classes, genders, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, age, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, and language.

7. Identify and analyze the utilization of phenotype, essentialism, and stereotypes with increased understanding of their effects on Indian communities through application of principles learned.

8. Analyze the roles of American Indian people in the context of American society, rather than as a social problem.

9. Compare and contrast American Indians in a global context with other indigenous people such as the Maori, Inui, Sami, and Aborigines.

10. Recognize the major issues tribes are dealing with in Indian Country, such as health, education, economics, missing women/children, and sovereignty.

11. Identify and explain relationships with other Ethnic groups in the United States such as African American, Asian, Latino(a), and their interactions with American Indians.

12. Identify the complex issues of American Indian Identity and membership in American Indian Nations.

13. Examine the reservation, rancheria, and land-back issues in Indian Country.

 

Ethnic Studies Objectives:

1. Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism as analyzed in Native American Studies.

2. Apply theory and knowledge produced by Native American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation. 

3. Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age in Native American communities. 

4. Critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation, as experienced and enacted by Native Americans are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies. 

5. Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements in Native American communities to build a just and equitable society.

Topics and Scope

I. Introduction

    A. New Indian "pre-test"

    B. Contemporary Indian studies

II. American Indian Identity

    A. Population and physical location of American Indian people

    B. Migration and relocation

    C. Legal status in tribal nations

    D. Social labels

    E. Intersectionality

III. Images of Indians

    A. Prejudice/stereotypes

    B. Cultural Pluralism vs. Assimilation

    C. Mass communication images, movies, social media, TV, radio, newspaper

IV. Indian Values, Attitudes and Behaviors

    A. Value systems of diverse tribal groups

    B. Comparison to dominant American values

    C. Policy considerations in institutions

    D. Elders and youth

    E. Gender and sexual orientation issues

V. Government and Indians

    A. Tribal government and sovereignty

    B. Structure and purpose

    C. Relationship with states, counties, and cities

    D. National policies

VI. Health and Family Status

    A. Indian Health Services

    B. Vital statistics

    C. Traditional Indian and Western medical practice

    D. Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

VII. Economic Conditions and Economic Development

    A. Income and employment

    B. Resource development

    C. Community role

    D. Socio-economic class

VIII. Education

    A. Attainment and performance: Basic and survival skills

    B. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), public, private

    C. Curriculum and community control

    D. Higher education

    E. Youth and elders

IX. Reservation and Non-Reservation Indian

    A. Reservation land

    B. Urban Indians

    C. Terminated and non-federally recognized Indians

    D. Class system on reservation

X. Social Service

    A. Housing

    B. Law enforcement

    C. Self-determination

XI. International Issues/Indigenous People

    A. Resistance and survival

    B. World Council of Indigenous People

    C. Relationship to ethnic groups in the United States

XII. Future for Indian Cultures

    A. Policy and government

    B. Pan-Indianism

    C. Youth and elders

    D. Gender roles of men and women

    E. Casinos, Sovereignty and Self-determination

Assignments:

1. Reading of approximately 35-50 pages per week.

 

2. Writing assignment(s) for a minimum of 1,250 words that may include research, experiential, response, journal reviews, cultural assessment, or project.

 

3. Quizzes and exams.

 

4. Optional: oral presentation and/or group project.

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 30 - 60%
Writing Assignments
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 40 - 60%
Quizzes and Exams
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 10%
Oral presentation and/or group project

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance. Estes, Nick. Verso. 2019.

 

Red Nation Rising: From Bordertown Violence to Native Liberation. Estes, Nick, and Melanie K. Yazzie, Jennifer Nez Denetdale and David Correia. PM Press. 2021.

 

Native American Voices. 3rd ed. Lobo, Susan, Talbort, Steve & Morris, Traci. Routledge Press. 2016 (classic)

 

Beyond Blood Rethinking Indigenous Identity. Palmater, Pamela D. Purich. 2011 (classic)

 

Modern Tribal Development. Smith, Dean Howard. Alta Mira Press. 2000 (classic)

 

The State of the Native Nations: Conditions under U.S. Policies of Self-determination. The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. Oxford University Press, Inc. 2008 (classic)

 

The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth. The Red Nation. Common Notions. 2021.

 

Dismembered: Native Disenrollment and the Battle for Human Rights. Wilkins, David Eugene, and Shelly Hulse Wilkins. University of Washington Press. 2017 (classic)

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