NATAM-BA - Native American Studies (BA)

The Interdepartmental Program in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CSRE) is an interdisciplinary program offering students the opportunity to investigate the significance of race and ethnicity in all areas of human life. The program's mission is to educate students to be leaders and produce knowledge for race and justice. Devoted to a rigorous analysis of race and ethnicity and using a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, CSRE promotes and deepens students' understanding of the multiple meanings of racial and ethnic diversity both in the United States and abroad. The program prepares students for living and working effectively in a multicultural world. The interdisciplinary and integrated nature of the academic programs means that students take courses from across the university including: anthropology, art, communication, economics, education, history, languages, linguistics, literature, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, theater and performance, among others.

Native American Studies (NAS) provides an intensive approach to understanding the historical and contemporary experiences of Native American people. Attention is paid not only to the special relationship between tribes and the federal government, but to issues across national boundaries, including tribal nations within Canada, and North, Central, and South America. In using the term Native American, the NAS faculty recognize the heterogeneous nature of this population. Native Americans include the Alaska Native population, which comprises Aleuts, Eskimo, and other Native American people residing in Alaska, as well as Native Hawaiian communities.

The purpose of the Native American Studies major and minor is to introduce students to approaches in the academic study of Native American people, history, and culture. Students who major in Native American Studies have the opportunity of doing advanced work in related fields, including literature, sociology, education, and law. All courses in the program promote the discussion of how academic knowledge about Native Americans relates to the historical and contemporary experiences of Native American people and communities.

Students should visit the CCSRE website for instructions on how to declare the major.

Up to 20 units of external credit may be applied to course electives.

The Program in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. an understanding of interdisciplinary approaches to the knowledge of experiences related to race and ethnicity in the United States;

2. an ability to employ diverse analytical resources and comparative modes of study as tools to frame and address research questions;

3. an ability to critically engage both primary and secondary sources, and properly use both types of evidence in crafting an argument;

4. an ability to actively and critically engage in verbal and/or written discussion of issues;

5. demonstration of analytical writing skills that convey their understanding of the topic;

6. an expanded ability to think critically about issues in political, social, scientific, economic, and cultural life stemming from the diversity of experiences related to race and ethnicity.