American Indian Studies, B.A.

The Humanities Program offers courses in American Cultural Studies, Native American and indigenous studies, history, humanities, philosophy, and religion, and Foundations for Univeristy Success. Thus, the Humanities program contributes to the university by providing many of the General University Course Requirements, especially those that contribute to the general education goals in communications skills, critical thinking, multicultural awareness, ethics, and humanities. The program thereby helps students acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to become effective participants in the political and cultural life and in the leadership of their chosen communities.

In addition, the Humanities program offers Associate of Arts degrees in both Humanities and American Indian Studies.The Bachelor of Arts degree in American Indian Studies or American Cultural Studies, provide opportunities to explore the arts, language, linguistics, history and culture, through various socio-political and historical lenses. These areas of focus provide excellent support for practical careers involving multicultural skills, as well as offer a critical overview of graduate studies in fields such as linguistics, museum science, professional writing, library science, history, American studies, and ethnic studies.

Program Outcomes

Students will:

• Exhibit critical thinking skills in diverse oral and written contexts
• Develop a multicultural awareness in the contexts of language, the arts, community practices, and belief traditions
• Acquire the knowledge and abilities needed to become an effective participant in the political and cultural lives of communities, assuming leadership roles in many cases
• Identify different values and world views, with an emphasis on understanding relationships among government, religion, art, and science, and among individuals, society, and the global community
• Produce critically reflective, well-supported, organized, and clearly articulated research papers using both primary and secondary sources
• Recognize the connection among values, beliefs, and cultural forms, and among humanity’s economic, social, and environmental sustainability