Alexandra Martin
Hamilton Smith 149E
As we all journey on the trail of life, we wish to acknowledge the spiritual and physical connection the Pennacook, Abenaki and Wabanaki Peoples have maintained to N’dakinna (homeland) and the aki (land), nebi (water), olakwika (flora) and awaasak (fauna) that the University of New Hampshire community is honored to steward today. We also acknowledge the hardships they continue to endure after the loss of unceded homelands and champion the university’s responsibility to foster relationships and opportunities that strengthen the well-being of the Indigenous People who carry forward the traditions of their ancestors.
Learn about the complex and diverse cultures and histories of Indigenous communities locally, nationally and globally. This interdisciplinary program draws from a range of fields, from anthropology and geography to English and history, to provide varied perspectives on issues such as colonialism, diaspora, social movements, politics and policy. You’ll learn academic theories and how they translate into practical applications. You’ll acquire skills and qualifications for graduate study and employment including work with Tribal and Indigenous leaders and officials, public health practitioners and administrators, and with institutions that require sensitivity to Indigenous issues, such as museums and other public institutions.
UNH is located on the traditional lands and waterways of the Abenaki, Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples, past and present, who have ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to the area. UNH faculty in the Native American and Indigenous studies program are actively engaged in ongoing efforts to build an enduring relationship between the university and local Indigenous communities in New Hampshire, the United States and elsewhere in the world. Related opportunities for internships, field work and independent research are plentiful, including work with the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective and through the many available UNH study abroad programs.
Hamilton Smith 149E
As an interdisciplinary minor, Native American and Indigenous studies (NAIS) offers a broad understanding of the history, lands, culture, literature, language and artistic expression, science and technology, race and identity, and social organization and political statuses of Native American and Indigenous peoples within and beyond North America. The minor provides an introduction to Indigenous values and a basis for understanding broad Indigenous issues.
NAIS complements a range of majors, including anthropology, English, history, political science, health and human services, music, psychology, biology, botany, natural resources and sustainability. The UNH Education Abroad program offers a variety of opportunities to UNH students to explore the NAIS minor overseas.
The minor will help students acquire the necessary skills and qualifications for a variety of graduate study and employment opportunities and enhance competitiveness for federal scholarships and programs, such as the Peace Corps, Teach for America or the National Parks Service. Students with NAIS training will be prepared for work with Tribal and Indigenous leaders and officials, public health practitioners and administrators, and/or working with institutions that require employees with cultural and historical sensitivity to Indigenous issues, such as museums or other public institutions. NAIS graduates may also go on to careers with organizations with Indigenous interests in the areas of education, business, arts, government and law, nonprofit and advocacy, and healthcare and science (e.g., the Native American Rights Fund, Native American Arts Council, American Indian Science and Engineering Society).
20 credits (5 courses) are required for the minor. Students must receive a grade of C or better in each course in order for the course to count toward the minor requirements.
Choose one of the following two options to complete the minor requirements.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Option 1 | ||
NAIS 400 | Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies 1 | 4 |
4 elective courses chosen from the list of approved courses below | 16 | |
Total Credits | 20 |
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Option 2 | ||
NAIS 400 | Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies 1 | 4 |
3 elective courses chosen from the list of approved electives below 2 | 12 | |
1 independent study or credit-bearing internship (HIST 695 or ANTH 700 or other option approved by coordinator) | 4 | |
Total Credits | 20 |
Also fulfills World Cultures Discovery requirement
2 of these courses can be from a UNH-approved education abroad program (see below)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
AMST 444C | Picturing America: The Arts & Social Change | 4 |
ANTH 500 | Peoples and Cultures of the World (A: North America and B: Latin America) | 4 |
ANTH 501 | World Archaeological Cultures (A: North America B: Mesoamerica) | 4 |
ANTH 513 | Ethnographic Methods | 4 |
ANTH 514 | Method and Theory in Archaeology | 4 |
ANTH 597 | Special Topics (on an approved topic) | 4 |
ANTH 620 | Ritual and Religion of Ancient Mesoamerica | 4 |
ANTH 785 | The Anthropology of Dreams and Dreaming | 4 |
BIOL 408 | Plants and Civilization | 4 |
ENGL 440A | On Race in Culture and Society | 4 |
ENGL 550 | Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race | 4 |
ENGL 729 | Special Topics in Composition Studies (on an approved topic) | 4 |
ENGL 739 | American Indian Literature | 4 |
HIST 405 | History of Early America | 4 |
HIST 511 | History of New Hampshire | 4 |
HIST 532 | Modern Latin America | 4 |
HIST 595 | Explorations (on an approved topic) | 1-4 |
HIST 600 | Explorations (on an approved topic) | 4 |
HIST 603 | European Conquest of North America | 4 |
HIST 632 | Latin American History: Topics | 4 |
MUSI 515 | Music in World Cultures | 4 |
NR 660 | Ecology and Biogeography of New Zealand | 5 |
NR 795 | Investigations (on an approved topic) | 1-4 |
PSYC 581 | Child Development | 4 |
PSYC 791W | Special Topics (on an approved topic) | 4 |
WS 505 | Survey in Women's Studies (on an approved topic) | 4 |
Thailand-TEAN-Chang Mai; CIEE Khon Kaeo
USAC-Southwest Minzu University (Southwest Universities for Nationalities). Among the courses offered:
Morocco - IES & CIEE. Courses offered:
New Zealand - Otago. Courses offered:
Peru - SIT: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization. Courses offered:
Senegal -CIEE. Courses offered:
Tanzania-CIEE. Courses offered:
Bhutan -API at Royal Thimphu College with internship. Courses offered:
NAIS 400 is the one required course for UNH’s interdisciplinary minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS). This course is a great opportunity to get an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS), by exploring the complexity and diversity of Indigenous experiences and heritage. This course cultivates a broad understanding of the history, lands, culture, literature, language and artistic expression, science and technology, race and identity, and social organization and political statuses of Native American and Indigenous peoples, emphasizing Native peoples’ self-determination, sovereignty and survivance. Students will learn about significant events and issues from Indigenous perspectives and develop new ways of thinking about Native peoples. They will confront some existing stereotypes about Indingeous peoples and think critically and creatively about social and conciliatory justice and community building.
Course units include Indigenous Identities, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Surviving and Survivance, Tribal Justice, Museums and Media, and Indigenous New Hampshire. These units build on one another to expose students to different approaches to Native American and Indigenous studies, including readings and materials from fields of anthropology, literature, museum studies, science, law, geography, math and sustainability. The syllabus emphasizes the work of Indigenous scholars and thinkers, including Devon Mihesuah (Choctaw), Eva Marie Garroutte (Cherokee), Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Porou), Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Muscogee) and Krystal Tsosie (Diné). If you are interested in any of these subjects, join us on this journey of learning, discovery, learning about responsibility and much needed reconciliation in our communities!
Assignments include Current Events presentations; a Mythbuster writing assignment that breaks down stereotypes and misconceptions; an Advocacy assignment that challenges students to address a modern issue of Tribal Justice; discussion groups of the novel "The Round House" by Louise Erdrich (Chippewa); a Critical Media Review of a recent novel, movie or museum exhibit; and a final project related to the Indigenous history and culture of New Hampshire.
We are looking forward to having you in the class!
To invite one of our affiliate faculty to be a guest speaker for your class or event, please contact the NAIS Administrative Assistant Anne Torres (anne.torres@edu) for speaker fee information.
The UNH Education Abroad program offers a variety of opportunities to UNH students to explore the NAIS minor overseas.
The National Student Exchange (NSE) program offers exchanges at institutions that are currently involved in cutting-edge research and teaching: