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1. Analyze the basic concepts, terms, and theories used in the anthropological study of
culture and apply them to the Native North American groups.
2. Compare and contrast socio-political systems, kinship structure, gender relations, technology,
subsistence patterns, arts, and ritual among various Native North American groups.
3. Evaluate the effects of European and Euro-American colonization on traditional
Native North American cultures.
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Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Identify appropriate terms and concepts used in the study of Native North American cultures.
2. Integrate data from archaeology, physical anthropology, linguistics, and Native North
American oral history to explain the origin of Native North Americans.
3. Locate on a map and describe the Native North American culture areas, as well as the
traditional territories of various Native groups.
4. Reconstruct the time-line of European colonization.
5. Analyze the cultural transformations that occurred within Native societies as a result of
colonization.
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I. Overview of Anthropological Concepts and Terms
A. Anthropological concepts of culture, culture area, ritual, and kinship
B. Theoretical perspectives used in the study of Native American cultures
II. Origins of Native Americans and the Peopling of the Americas
A. Biological and archaeological data and hypotheses
B. Ethnographic and linguistic data and hypotheses
C. Native oral histories
III. The Native North American Culture Areas and the Varying Cultural Adaptations of
Native Peoples
A. Peoples of the Arctic
B. Peoples of the Subarctic
C. Peoples of the Northwest Coast
D. Peoples of the Plateau
E. Peoples of the Great Basin
F. Peoples of California
G. Peoples of the Southwest
H. Peoples of the Great Plains
I. Peoples of the Northeast and Great Lakes
J. Peoples of the Southeast
IV. Topics and Issues Relative to the Study of Traditional Native North American Cultures
A. Ethnicity and identity
B. Gender roles and sexual orientation
C. Religions and world views
D. Environmental ethics and subsistence forms
V. European Contact and Colonization
A. Time-line
1. Spanish contact and colonization
2. English contact and colonization
3. French contact and colonization
4. Russian contact and colonization
5. Euro-American contact and colonization
B. Cultural change and assimilation within Native North American groups as a result
of European and Euro-American contact and colonization
VI. Current issues, challenges, and cultural trends within contemporary Native
North American populations, including sovereignty, indigenous epistemologies,
law and policy, comparative global indigenous studies, women and gender studies,
queer studies, subaltern studies, immigrant and refugee histories, and transnational
and diasporic studies.
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An Introduction to Native North America. 5th ed. Sutton, Mark Q. Routlege. 2016
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America. King, Thomas. University of Minnesota Press. 2013
The Native Americans. Spencer, Robert and Jennings, Jesse. HarperCollins. 1976 (classic)
Ethnohistorical Textbooks:
This Land Was Theirs: A Study of Native North Americans. 9th ed. Oswalt, Wendell. Oxford University Press. 2009 (classic)
The People: A History of Native America. Edmunds, David and Hoxie, Frederick and Salisbury, Neal. Cengage. 2006 (classic)
North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account. 3rd ed. Kehoe, Alice. Routledge. 2005 (Ethnohistorical Textbook) (classic)