Courses
AIS 101. Introduction to American Indian Studies (3)
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. (Available for General Education, Comparative Cultural Studies.)
AIS 301. First Peoples and Popular Culture (3)
The course introduces students to the misconceptions about First Peoples that have appeared in many avenues of popular culture, including literature, advertising, Hollywood cinema, New Age religions and political debates. As a cultural studies course, it focuses on the representations of North American First Peoples in popular culture, the response to those representations and the production of representations by First Peoples writers, poets, artists and filmmakers (among others). (Available for General Education, Lifelong Learning.)
AIS 304. American Indian Law and Policy (3)
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, health care, art, land ownership and religious and treaty rights, are examined. (Available for General Education, Comparative Cultural Studies.)
AIS 314. North American Indian Literature (3)
Preparatory: Completion of the Lower Division writing requirement. Survey of North American Indian literature, including traditional oral forms, autobiographies, and contemporary poetry and prose. (Cross-listed with ENGL 314.)
AIS 333. American Indian Philosophy (3)
Prerequisite: Completion of the Lower-Division writing requirement. A survey of American Indian philosophy from issues arising out of Oral Traditions, to early colonial Indigenous impacts on American Democracy and Pragmatism, to recent work on knowledge, value, and being as well as applied issues such as tribal sovereignty and the environment. (Available for General Education, Comparative Cultural Studies.)
AIS 401. Contemporary American Indian Social Issues (3)
Focuses on First Peoples contemporary social issues and the relationship of those concerns to the surrounding society. While concerned with the histories and cultures of First Peoples, the main focus is on contemporary scenarios. American Indian experiences will be compared and contrasted with those of the dominate society and other racial and ethnic groups. The student will be exposed to American Indian world views, the unique sovereign status of American Indian nations and social institutional explanations for cultural and political conflict with the dominant society. To facilitate these goals, during the semester each student will enter into a community partnership with an American Indian social group or formal organization in the larger Los Angeles area or on a reservation, reserve or pueblo.