ANTH 232 - Native Americans: Contemporary Issues

 

Professor: Valentina Pagliai

Oberlin College

 

MWF 3:30-4:20pm

 

Office: King 320a

Phone: (440) 775-8372 office

Office Hours: MF 4:30pm-5:30pm

(Or by appointment)

E-mail: valentina.pagliai@oberlin.edu

 

Course Description: This course focuses on a selected number of issues facing North American Indians. These include land rights, protection of the environment, creation of urban communities, challenges of economic development on the reservations, exploitation of Native American images in the mass-media and market economy, language revitalization movements, and other topics. The course emphasizes native strategies of political and cultural survival amid incorporation into the world system. Through videos and presentations by invited speakers (as part of the Indigenous Women Series), the class will be particularly attentive to native voices and perspectives.

NOTE: This syllabus is subject to revision as the exact dates for the Indigenous Women Series presentations will become available.  Students will be required to assist such presentations and class for that day will be cancelled.

Texts:

1) Angela Mullis & David Kamper (Eds.) 2000. Indian Gaming: Who Wins? Los Angeles: American Indian Studies Center UCLA

2) Kilpatrick, Jacquelyn 1999. Celluloid Indians: Native Americans and Film. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press.

3) Fixico, Donald L. 2000. The Urban Indian Experience in America. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

4) LaDuke, Winona 1999. All our relations: native struggles for land and life. Cambridge, MA : South End Press; Minneapolis, MN : Honor the Earth

5) Other readings: available on blackboard.

Note: All Readings and Assignments are to be done by the date they are listed on the syllabus.  All videos listed will be shown in class.

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WEEK 1

 

M 2/6 -- Introduction.  Preview of the course: goals, readings, requirements, grading. 

Discussion Assignment (#1) Given: Prepare questions for class discussion.

 

W 2/8 –Assimilation, Erasure and Resistance

Readings: - Ward Churchill ≥Bringing the Law Home≤ pp. 11-46.

- Start reading Kilpatrick ≥Celluloid Indians≤

 

F 2/10  -- Assimilation, Erasure and Resistance

Video: ≥Ishi≤

Readings: - Kilpatrick, read to p. 64.

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WEEK 2

 

M 2/13 – Discussion of the video ≥Ishi.≤

Imagined Indians: erasures and the cinematic Indian.

Students decide when they will present and the topic of their research project.

Readings: - Kilpatrick, continue to read.

 

W 2/15 –Discussion: Cinematic Indians

Readings: - Kilpatrick: read at least until p. 120.

 

F 2/17 – Discussion: Cinematic Indians.

Readings: - Kilpatrick: read to page 156 and from 168 to 177 (≥The Sunchasers≤ excluded).

1^st Summary/reflections Due on the readings done so far

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WEEK 3

 

M 2/20 – Cinematic Indians: Native Voices.

Video: ≥Harold of Orange≤

 

W 2/22 – Cinematic Indians: Native Voices.

Readings: - Kilpatrick, p. 178-232.

 

F 2/24 – Playing Indian.

Readings: - Deloria ≥Hobby Indians, Authenticity, and Race in Cold War America≤ pp. 128-153.

- Start reading LaDuke.

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WEEK 4

 

M 2/27 – Discussion: Playing Indians:

Readings: - Deloria, ≥Counterculture Indians and the New Age≤ pp. 154-180 & ≥The Grateful Dead Indians≤ pp. 181-191.

- Churchill ≥Letπs Spread the Fun Around≤ pp. 65-72.

 

W 3/1 – Land rights: the trail of broken treaties.

VIDEO: ≥Broken Rainbow≤ (70 min.) First Part

 

F 3/3 – Land rights: the Navajo/Hopi Case.

VIDEO: ≥Broken Rainbow≤ (70 min.) Second Part

Readings: - Continue reading LaDuke

2nd Summary/reflections Due on the readings done so far

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WEEK 5

 

M 3/6 – 1^st Group Presentation: Topic to be announced.

 

W 3/8 – Discussion: Struggle for the Land.

Readings: - LaDuke, 49-70.

- Churchill ≥Struggle to Regain a Stolen Homeland: The Iroquois Land Claims in Upstate New York≤ pp. 87-105.

 

F 3/10 – Land rights and the environment.

Readings: - LaDuke: pp. 97-111.

- Churchill ≥The Struggle for Newe Segobia: The Western Shoshone Battle for Their Homeland≤ pp. 197-113.

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WEEK 6

 

M 3/13 – NO CLASS.

March 14^th: Guest Speaker presentation: Beatrice Holy Visitor Long Dance and Loretta Afraid of Bear

 

W 3/15 – Discussion of speakerπs presentation. Protecting the environment.

Readings: - LaDuke, pp. 27-45, 115-134 &197-200.

 

F 3/17 - 2^nd Group Presentation: Topic to be announced.

3rd Summary/reflections Due on the readings done so far

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WEEK 7

 

M 3/20 – Land rights and the environment.

VIDEO – To be announced + discussion

Readings: - LaDuke, pp. 11-23.

 

W 3/22 – Land rights and the environment.

Readings: - LaDuke, pp. 75-92 & 139-162.

 

F 3/24 – Religious rights

Video: In the Light of Reverence

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WEEK 8

- FALL BREAK

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WEEK 9

 

M 4/3 – NO CLASS – guest presentation - 4:30 p.m. in West Lecture.

DR. MICHELLE H. RAHEJA

Monday, April 3^rd, ≥Molly Spotted Elk is a dancerä but she also knows how to punch a typewriter≤:  Gender, (Auto)biography, and Performance in 1930s Native America≤

 

W 4/5 – Discussion of guest speakerπs presentation. The struggle for Religious Rights

Readings: - Start reading Mullis and Kamper.

 

F 4/7 – The reservation system: origins, challenges of economic development.

Readings: - Mullis and Kamper, continue reading.

4^th Summary/reflections Due on the readings done so far

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WEEK 10

 

M 4/10 – 3^rd Group Presentation: Topic to be announced.

Readings: - Mullis and Kamper, read to page 105.

 

W 4/12 – NO CLASS

DR. ROXANNE DUNBAR-ORTIZ

Public Lecture: Thursday, April 13^th, ≥Geopolitics and the International Indigenous Movement≤ 4:30 p.m. in West Lecture.

 

F 4/14 – Discussion of guest speaker. Discussion: The case of Casinos.

Readings: - Mullis and Kamper, continue reading.

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WEEK 11

 

M 4/17 – Discussion: Economic development – The case of Casinos.

Readings: - Mullis and Kamper, read to end.

 

W 4/19 – 4^th Group Presentation: Topic to be announced.

Readings: - Start reading Fixico ≥The Urban Indian Experience in America≤

 

F 4/21 – Eventual presentation

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WEEK 12

 

M 4/24 – 5^th Group Presentation: Topic to be announced.

5^th Summary/reflections Due on the readings done so far

 

W 4/26 – Urban communities

Readings: - Continue reading Fixico ≥The Urban Indian Experience in America≤

 

F 4/28 – Discussion: Urban communities

Readings: - Fixico ≥The Urban Indian Experience in America≤ read to page 106.

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WEEK 13

 

M 5/1 – Discussion: Urban communities

Readings: - Fixico ≥The Urban Indian Experience in America≤ read to end (page 189).

 

W 5/3 – 6^th Group Presentation: Topic to be announced.

 

F 5/5 – Language Revitalization.

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WEEK 14

 

M 5/8 – Discussion: Language Revitalization

Readings: - Hinton Introduction to the Pueblo Languages≤ pp. 60-62; ≥The Karuk Language≤ pp. 191-193 & ≥The Master-Apprentice Language Learning Program≤ pp. 217-226.

- Sims ≥Native Language Planning: A Pilot Process in the Acoma Pueblo Community≤ p. 63-73.

- Pecos & Blum-Martinez ≥The Key to Cultural Survival: Language Planning and Revitalization in the Pueblo de Cochiti≤ p. 75-82.

- Supahan & Supahan ≥Teaching Well, Learning Quickly: Communication Based Language Instruction≤ p. 195-197.

 

W 5/10 – Discussion: Language Revitalization

Readings: - Hale ≥The Navajo Language I≤ pp. 83-84; ≥The Navajo Language II≤ pp. 199-201; & ≥Inuttut and Innu-aimun≤ pp. 351-352.

- Platero ≥Navajo Head Start Language Study≤ pp. 87-97.

- Arviso & Holm ≥A Navajo Immersion Program at Fort Defiance, Arizona≤ pp. 203-215.

- Johns & Mazurkewich ≥The Role of the University in the Training of Native Language Teachers≤ pp. 355-364.

6^th Summary/reflections Due on the readings done so far

 

F 5/12 – NO CLASS

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FINALS' WEEK

Final Project to be completed by: Friday May 20^th, 9am

According to college policy, I cannot reschedule your finals.  In exceptional cases, the Dean of Studies, Dr. Katherine Stuart, can approve of such a rescheduling.  If you think an exceptional case applies to you, please talk to her about it.

 

Course Policies:

 

Code of honor

The Oberlin College Students' Code of Honor applies to the course, please familiarize yourself with it: http://www.oberlin.edu/students/student_pages/honor_code.html

 

Readings should be completed by the day they are listed on the syllabus; this will help you follow lectures and prepare for lectures and section.

 

Summaries/reflections are due at the beginning of the class session.  They must touch on all the readings done. They must be typed. They will be graded down 1 point for each day that they are late. Each summary is graded on a scale of 1 to 10 and it is worth 5% of the final grade.

 

Participation to class Discussions is fundamental. Students are required to actively participate in discussions. ≥Active participation,≤ means speaking during discussions (at least most of the time), having questions prepared for potential discussion for every class, and getting to know your fellow classmates by name, major, etc. Merely attending class does not constitute active in class participation.

 

Presence in class is expected, and I will take the roll at the beginning of each class. Students present at the roll will receive 1 point.  Students who are late may not be recorded.

 

Grades:

Summaries/reaction papers                                                                   30% of the grade

Class presentation (group project)                                                        15 %

Participation and Presence in class                                                        35 %

Final project                                                                                         20%

                                                                                    _________

                                                                                                            100 %

 

A+ = 96% of grade; A = 93%; A- = 90%, B+ = 86%; B = 82%; B- = 78%; C+ = 74%; C = 70%; C- = 60%; NE = Less than 60%; D = 55%; F = Less than 55%.

 

Final Note: Although the syllabus will be followed as much as possible, it is intended as a guideline and circumstances may require a change to the schedule.  Students are responsible for any changes announced in class.