AIS 1110 Introduction to American Indian Studies II: Contemporary Issues in Indigenous
North America(Prof. Troy Richardson)
100 Caldwell - 11:15- 12:05 MW
(1100 is not a prerequisite to 1110)
This course provides an interdisciplinary focus upon issues in contemporary American Indian
communities. Lectures and discussion sections will survey key moments in policy and law that
(1) created the conditions for American and Canadian settlement; (2) reformulated traditional
Indian governance and culture; and (3) created the dynamic interplay between American Indian
Peoples and Nations with each other and with the state. This course will emphasize Indian
sovereignty, nationhood, agency, and conditions of entanglement that formulated strategies of
not only of American and Canadian settlement, but also resistance, dignity and autonomy for
contemporary American Indian Peoples and Nations. Course materials will be drawn from the
humanities, social science and expressive arts.
AIS 235 Archaeology of North American Indians (Prof. K. Jordan)
ML 106 MWF 2:30- 3:20
This introductory course surveys archaeology's contributions to the study of American Indian
cultural diversity and change in North America north of Mexico. Lectures and readings will
examine topics ranging from the debate over when the continent was first inhabited to
present-day conflicts between Native Americans and archaeologists over excavation and the
interpretation of the past. We will review important archaeological sites such as Chaco Canyon,
Cahokia, Lamoka Lake, and the Little Bighorn battlefield. A principal focus will be on major
transformations in life ways such as the adoption of agriculture, the development of
political-economic hierarchies, and the disruptions that accompanied the arrival of Europeans
to the continent.
AIS 236 Natives Peoples of the Northeast (Prof. J. Parmenter)
B04 White Hall TR 2:55-4:10PM
This course examines the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of northeastern North
America, from ancient times through the era of contact with Europeans to the present day.
The course emphasizes the fascinating and dramatic series of transformations and adaptations
undertaken by Native peoples in the Northeast which have contributed to their ongoing survival
in the twenty-first century. Readings and discussions will be drawn from a wide range of
secondary and primary sources, including: historical documents, traditional narratives,
archaeological reports, the Internet, and visual representations of material culture. The
class will emphasize critical reading of texts, writing, and discussion.
AIS 266 Introduction to Native American History (Prof. J. Parmenter)
104 White Hall MWF 9:05-9:55
With the abandonment of earlier perspectives grounded in romantic and evolutionary stereotypes,
Native American history is currently one of the most exciting, dynamic, and contentious fields
of inquiry into America's past. This course introduces students to the key themes and trends in
the history of North America's indigenous peoples by taking an issues-oriented approach. We
will cover material ranging from the debate over the Native American population at the time of
first European contact to contemporary social and political struggles over casino gambling and
land claims. The course stresses the ongoing complexity and change in Native American societies
and will emphasize the theme of Native peoples' creative adaptations to historical change.
AIS 340 Contested Terrain: Hawaii (Simpson, A.)
Not offered on Cornell University Campus
MWF 11:15 - 12:05A
This course draws from the fields of history, political science, and sociology to present an
historical understanding of contemporary Hawaiian society. Topics include Western contact,
establishment of Western institutions, overthrow of a sovereign government, annexation,
integration into the United States. Direct experience with Hawaiian leaders and institutions
are incorporated to address contemporary issues: sovereignty, economic development/dependency,
social change, and land use as a sociopolitical and cultural struggle.
AIS 364 Politics of Nations Within (Prof. B. Hendrix )
SN 206 TR 10:10- 11:25AM
This political theory course will consider the political status of Native Americans in the
United States, as well as the status of indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand. We will begin with brief overviews of native peoples in the countries considered,
with special attention to the history of their interactions with the states that now rule
them, and their contemporary legal status. The course will consider the ideologies used to
justify conquests and displacements by European colonists, particularly as illustrated in
historical works of political theory and key court cases. The latter half of the course will
consider the possible futures of these “nations within” by considering normative arguments
about assimilation, cultural rights, treaty federalism, and full sovereign statehood. (PH)
AIS 460 Field & Analytical Arkeo Methods (Prof. Kurt Jordan)
MG B65 TR 10:10- 11:25 AM
Topic and credit hours to be mutually arranged between faculty and student. Independent Study Forms
must be approved by American Indian Program Office.
AIS 671 Law and Literature (Prof. Eric Cheyfitz)
As an example of the interdisciplinary action between law and literatue, this course will focus
on the relationship from the nineteenth century to the present between federal Indian law and
American Indian literatures. The course will engage such topics as the limits of western law,
the idea of postcoloniality, sovereignty and nation state, the Native critique of U.S.
imperialism, and the question of interdisciplinarity itself. The readings will come from
federal Indian case and statute law and native literatures, including among others the work
of William Apress, Zitkala-Sa, Mourning Dove, D’Arcy McNickle, Wendy Rose, Gerald Vizenor,
Simon Ortiz, Linda Hogan, and Leslie, Marmon Sikko.
