Sep 07, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Academic Catalog-June 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Academic Catalog-June
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ANT 2020 - Native American Culture

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
This course provides a general overview of traditional American Indian cultures and societies in North America. The course examines the rich complexity and diversity of American Indian societies through the study of the social structures, political systems, religious beliefs, and cultural practices of various tribal groups. There is a particular emphasis on Native American oral traditions (e.g., myths, legends, oratory, and songs) and how these reflect the worldviews of the cultures that created them. Students are also introduced to the anthropological methods and theories that are used to study American Indian cultures. 
Prereq: None
Note: Students choose between Exhibit Curiosity or Embrace Diversity.
This course meets the following Raider Core CLO Requirement: Exhibit Curiosity, Embrace Diversity
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Describe the concept of culture as defined by cultural anthropologists and the methods used in cultural anthropology to research and explain the concept of culture
  • Describe how anthropological theories and methods has shifted non-Native thinking about Native peoples for the last century and has often served to facilitate United States imperialism
  • Describe the cultural patterns (i.e., economy, social structure, and cosmology) of Arctic natives and Subarctic Indians
  • Describe the cultural pattern (i.e., economy, social structure, and cosmology) of Plateau Indians
  • Describe the cultural patterns (i.e., economy, social structure, and cosmology) Northwest Coast and California Indians
  • Describe the cultural pattern (i.e., economy, social structure, and cosmology) of Southwest Pueblo Indians
  • Describe the cultural pattern (i.e., economy, social structure, and cosmology) of the Great Plains Indians
  • Describe the cultural pattern (i.e., economy, social structure, and cosmology) of Maya civilization
  • Explain the cosmology and spiritual beliefs of Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes

Prerequisites by Topic
  • None

Course Topics
  • Geography and Native North America
  • Cultural anthropology and the concept of culture
  • Cultural anthropology, anthropologists, and perceptions of Native people
  • North American prehistory
  • Native peoples of the Arctic
  • Native peoples of the Subarctic
  • Native peoples of the Subarctic: The Cree
  • Native peoples of the Plateau
  • Native peoples of the Plateau: The Nez Perce
  • Native peoples of the Northwest Coast
  • Native peoples of the Northwest Coast: The Kwakiutl
  • Native peoples of the Great Basin
  • Native peoples of the Great Basin: The Piaute
  • Native peoples of California
  • Native peoples of California: The Yokut
  • Native peoples of the Southwest: Pueblo and Non-Pueblo People
  • Native peoples of the Southwest:  The Hopi
  • Native peoples of the Southwest: The Navajo
  • Native peoples of the Great Plains
  • Native peoples of the Great Plains: The Cheyenne
  • Native peoples of the Great Plains: The Sioux
  • Native peoples of the Northeast
  • Native peoples of the Northeast: The Iroquois
  • Native peoples of the Northeast: The Chippewa (Anishinaabe)
  • Native peoples of the Southeast
  • Native peoples of the Southeast: The Cherokoee
  • Native Meso-America: Prehistory to Classic
  • Native Meso America: The Maya
  • Native Meso-America: The Post-Classic Age
  • Native Meso America: The Aztecs

Coordinator
Dr. Patrick Jung



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