ANT 384 - American Indian Nations Today: Pressing Issues in Indian Country

American Indian Nations Today explores the tremendous diversity of contemporary Native Nations in the territory now known as the United States. Current events will be examined through ethnography with an emphasis on environmental topics. This will examine contemporary works by Indigenous scholars supplemented by a variety of media and sources including short videos, film, autobiographies, literature, guest speakers, case studies, archaeological evidence, and historical accounts in order to address the multitude of perspectives on current events such as climate change, gaming, and mascots, in Indian Country - the U.S.’s “nations-within-a-nation.”
This course primarily devotes time to the current processes of nation-building developed by these Native Nations in the 21st century as they intersect with topics such as cultural reclamation, stereotype perpetuation, racial constructions, the legacy of academic research, and the state of activism. These discussions will be built on an historical context crucial for understanding the unique socio-economic complexities that Native Nations face today.

Satisfies a major requirement in Anthropology
Satisfies Environmental Studies major and minor requirement (Social science track)
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement