Introduction to traditional and contemporary American Indian cultures with an interdisciplinary approach to the history, social institutions, religion, literature, arts and inter-ethnic relations of First People Nations. Meets the Ethnic Studies requirement. Available for General Education, CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (E.S.)

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement is recommended. Introduction to critical thinking through the lens of American Indian Studies and the examination of knowledge production and reproduction. Examine selected historical and contemporary discourse/philosophies of American Indian nations and contemporary social issues, particularly the complex relationship between American Indians and the United States federal …

Recommended Preparatory: AIS 101, GWS 100. A survey course that examines the concepts of gender and sexuality as they are politically, economically, socially and culturally constructed in American Indian communities. Special attention is given to the role settler colonialism plays in shaping these constructions. Explores the degree to which Indigenous articulations of gender and sexuality …

A survey of selected major events in U.S. history from the perspective of American Indians, especially as they relate to key concepts in American Indian Studies, such as settler colonialism, nationhood, sovereignty, citizenship, racialization, and treaty rights vs. civil rights. Examines the relationship of American Indian nations to state and federal governments, including the impact …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Analysis and interpretation of representations of American Indians in popular culture, which may include art, literature, advertising, cinema, television, sports, and music. Examination of the historical, racial, political, and cultural contexts of these representations in various periods of U.S. history, including the present. Promotes critical media literacy. …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: AIS 101. Examines the impact of the multi-jurisdictional indigenous social control mechanisms on U.S. state and federal law and policies. Major focus is on the unique legal relationship that exists between Indian governments and state and federal governments. Issues, including criminal justice, child welfare, education, gaming, healthcare, art, …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of American Indian literatures, which may include traditional oral forms, autobiographies, and contemporary poetry and prose. Students who have taken AIS 314 will not receive credit for AIS 318. Available for General Education, Area 3B Humanities or CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (W.I.) (Cross-listed with …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of American Indian philosophy from issues arising out of oral traditions to recent work on knowledge, value, and being. Topics may include concepts of personhood and consciousness; Indigenous impacts on American democracy and pragmatism; sovereignty; decoloniality; Indigenous ways of knowing; and Indigenous perspectives on the environment. Regular …

The American Indian Studies Program seeks to promote an understanding of American Indian history, cultures and tribal sovereignty with a focus on Southern California tribes, urban American Indians and other indigenous peoples in a global context. The program seeks to revise Western knowledge of the history and culture of the United States to include American …

The minor in American Indian Studies (AIS) is intended to impart knowledge of the diverse cultures and histories of the Indigenous peoples of the United States. Students can learn of the many challenges overcome by American Indian communities, including those in Los Angeles, and gain an appreciation of the many accomplishments of American Indian activists, …

(2000) Professor of English. B.A. 1987, University of Oklahoma; M.A. 1993, Ph.D. 2000, University of California, Riverside.

(2022) Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies. B.S. 2004, M.S. 2007, Montana State University, Billings; M.F.A. 2013, National University; Ph.D. 2022, University of California, Santa Barbara.

(2023) Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies. B.A. 2016, University of California, Berkeley; M.A. 2018, Ph.D. 2023, University of California, Los Angeles.

(1996) Director of American Indian Studies Program; Professor of Asian American Studies. B.A. 1986, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa; M.A. 1989, M.A. 1991, Ph.D. 1997, University of California, Los Angeles.