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ANTHROPOLOGY 327/CES 378
CONTEMPORARY NATIVE PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS
3 Credits
SPRING 2017
MWF Todd Hall 204 11:10-12:00
Instructor: Jeanette Weaskus, Ph.D.
Phone: (509) 335-0565
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00
Cleveland 23C
Course Readings:
Treuer, David. Rez Life. Grove Press. 2010. Print.
Barbara Deloria, Kristen Foehner, and Sam Scinta, Eds. Spirit & Reason The Vine Deloria Jr.
Reader. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado: 1999. Print.
Susan Lobo and Kurt Peters, Eds. American Indians and the Urban Indian Experience. Altamira
Press: New York, 2001. Print.
Clyde Ellis, Luke Lassiter, and Gary Dunham, Eds. Powwow. U of Nebraska P, 2005. Print.
Bob Blaisdell, Ed. Great Short Stories by Contemporary Native American Writers. Dover
Publications: New York, 2014. Print.
Catalog Description:
327 [S,D] Contemporary Native Peoples of the Americas 3 Contemporary cultures of Native
American communities emphasizing North America. (Crosslisted course offered as ANTH 327,
CES 378). Recommended preparation: ANTH 101 or CES 171.
Course Overview: In this course we will examine & discuss the following aspects of modern
Native American culture:
1) Contemporary stories: in looking at modern fiction stories students can glimpse into
the cultures of the writer. Native writers often include traditional homelands and
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kinship ties within the fictional piece. Students will study tribes of the authors by
creating and presenting a brief research slide show on the story chosen by their group.
2) Urban Indians: since the early days of colonialism, Native people had begun to live
among the immigrants in their cities and towns. Since the US government program
of “Relocation” back in the 1950’s an even larger amount of Natives became city
dwellers. There are so many degrees of cultural attachment and knowledge which all
depend on the strength of ties to the reservation. We will explore the varying degrees
of reservation ties and how this impacts identity to the self and among the people as a
whole.
3) Powwow: this modern aspect of American indigenous culture is a lifestyle for
thousands of tribal members of every tribe in the country. Powwow is a vibrant party
of mixed mediums that include traditional oral storytelling, Native humor, fashion,
dancing, vendors selling all manner of food, music, movies, arts and crafts, secular
Native ceremonies, and prize money. You will learn how powwow functions in
Native communities and families.
Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment:
Student Learning Outcomes
Assessment
The student will learn about a variety of tribes
and their modern day cultures
Presentations to share the findings of your
research with classmates
The student will research a dance style or
secular ceremony of their choice
A mini research paper due for mid-term grades
The student will learn about modern
reservation life through the study of the Leech
Lake Reservation located in Northern
Minnesota
The completion of course reading entitled Rez
Life and an accompanying paper due Wed 426-17
Week-To-Week Course Outline:
Week 1: Find your group
Week 2: Presentation how-to
Week 3: Powwow
Week 4: Powwow Paper Due
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Week 5: Vine Deloria
Week 6: Vine Deloria
Week 7: Vine Deloria
Week 8: Mid-term grades due
Week 9: Vine Deloria Paper Due
Week 10: Spring Break
Week 11: Rez Life
Week 12: Rez Life
Week 13: Rez Life
Week 14: Urban Indians
Week 15: Urban Indians
Week 16: Final Paper Due
Description of Required Assignments:
Papers: three (3) page papers (worth 20% each) written about the topics of each book in class
will be due as indicated on the syllabus. Write papers in standard academic format (Word
document, double spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins). Writing assignments are worth 60% of
your final grade. Poorly written papers or papers purposefully formatted to reduce the amount of
writing necessary to fill 3 pages (triple spacing, enlarged margins, enlarged fonts) will result in a
reduced grade. Do not email papers, turn in paper copies on the due dates.
Groups: during the first week of class you will choose a group of your classmates to present with
twice over the course of the semester. Groups are worth 30% of your final grade (15% for each
group presentation).
Quizzes: there will be 2 random quizzes given during the semester on Blackboard. Quizzes = 5%
each for a total of 10% of final grade.
Grading
Papers
60%
Groups
20%
Black Board Quizzes
10%
TOTAL = 100%
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WSU Policies:
WSU Reasonable Accommodation Policy:
Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a
documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to fully participate in
this class, please either visit or call the Access Center at Washington Building Room #217, (509)
335-3417 to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations MUST be
approved through the Access Center. For more information contact a Disability Specialist on
your home campus.
Pullman or WSU Online: 509-335-3417, Washington Building 271;
http://accesscenter.wsu.edu; [email protected]
Spokane: https://spokane.wsu.edu/studentaffairs/disability-resources/
Tri-Cities: http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/disability/
Vancouver: 360-546-9138
http://studentaffairs.vancouver.wsu.edu/student-resource-center/disability-services
WSU Academic Integrity Statement:
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of higher education. As such, all members of the university
community share responsibility for maintaining and promoting the principles of integrity in all
activities, including academic integrity and honest scholarship. Academic integrity will be
strongly enforced in this course. Students who violate WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy
(identified in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 504-26-010(3) and -404) will receive a
Fail for the course, will not have the option to withdraw from the course pending an appeal, and
will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration as defined in
the Standards of Conduct for Students, WAC 504-26-010(3). You need to read and understand
all of the definitions of cheating: http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=504-26-010. If
you have any questions about what is and is not allowed in this course, you should ask course
instructors before proceeding.
If you wish to appeal a faculty member’s decision relating to academic integrity, please use the
form available at conduct.wsu.edu.
Safety and Emergency Notification Classroom Safety Statement:
Classroom and campus safety are of paramount importance at Washington State University, and
are the shared responsibility of the entire campus population. WSU urges students to follow the
“Alert, Assess, Act,” protocol for all types of emergencies and the “Run, Hide, Fight” response
for an active shooter incident. Remain ALERT (through direct observation or emergency
notification), ASSESS your specific situation, and ACT in the most appropriate way to ensure
your own safety (and the safety of others if you are able).
Please sign up for emergency alerts on your account at MyWSU. For more information on this
subject, campus safety, and related topics, please view the FBI’s Run, Hide, Fight video and visit
the WSU safety portal.
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Grading Policy – Incompletes
Assigning Incompletes: University policy (Acad. Reg. #90) states that Incompletes may only be
awarded if: “the student is unable to complete their work on time due to circumstances beyond
their control.”
Instructor – Specific Expectations:
Late work will be accepted during office hours within two class periods of the due date.
Instructional Methods:
Students will collaborate for the story assignment and work independently for the remainder of
the assignments. All assignments are graded individually and are the responsibility of the
student.
Blackboard Learn/Course Website
Your course readings will be posted on https://learn.wsu.edu/webapps/login/
Important Dates and Deadlines:
Students are encourages to refer to the academic calendar often to be aware of critical deadlines
throughout the semester. The academic calendar can be found at
http://registrar.wsu.edu/academic-calendar/.
Severe Weather:
For severe weather alerts, see: http://alert.wsu.edu/ and https://oem.wsu.edu/emergencyprocedures/severe -weather/. In the event of severe weather affecting university operations,
guidance will be issued through the alert system.
Evaluation of Student Learning Outcomes:
Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course,
Students should be able to:
Course Topics/Dates
The following
topic(s)/date(s) will address
this outcome:
Evaluation of Outcome:
This outcome will be
evaluated primarily by:
Discuss and identify many
aspects of a powwow
Weeks 1-3 lecture, videos, and Powwow paper due
readings
Wednesday 2-1-17
Know some works of iconic
indigenous scholar Vine
Deloria
Weeks 4-8 lecture, videos, and Deloria paper due Wednesday
readings
3-8-17
Know several contemporary
short stories by Native authors
Most Fridays throughout the
semester
Friday student group
presentations on stories
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Course Calendar (Subject to change)
Week 1: Jan 9 – Jan 13
M Introduction
W Groups/Powwow pg 241 The German Experience
F Group #1 The Soft-Hearted Sioux Powwow Pg 130 Powwow Patter
Week 2: Jan 16 – Jan 20
M Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr)
W Powwow Pg 224 Two-Spirit Powwows
F Group #2 Train Time
Week 3: Jan 23 – Jan 27
M No Class Powwow Pg 152 Beauty Is Youth
W Powwow Pg 68 Local Contests
F Group #3 A Red Girl’s Reasoning
Week 4: Jan 30 – Feb 3
M Deloria Part I: Philosophy
W Deloria Part I: Philosophy/Powwow Paper Due
F Group #4 The Man to Send Rain Clouds/Deloria Part I: Philosophy
Week 5: Feb 6 – Feb 10
M Deloria Part II: Social Science
W Deloria Part II: Social Science
F Group #5 The Singing Bird/Deloria Part II: Social Science
Week 6: Feb 13 – Feb 17
M Deloria Part III: Education
W Deloria Part III: Education
F No Class – Writing Workshop for Nez Perce Tribe/Deloria Part III: Education
Week 7: Feb 20 – 24
M Holiday (Presidents Day) Deloria Part IV: Indians
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W Deloria Part IV: Indians
F Group #1 The Dog Pit/Deloria Part IV: Indians
Week 8: Feb 27 – Mar 3
M Deloria Part V: Religion
W Deloria Part V: Religion
F Group #2 War Dances/Deloria Part V: Religion
Week 9: Mar 6 – Mar 10
M Rez Life
W Rez Life: Deloria Paper Due
F Group #3 Crow’s Sun/Rez Life
Week 10: Mar 13 – Mar 17
Spring Break
Week 11: Mar 20 – Mar 24
M Rez life
W Rez Life
F Group #4 Borders Rez Life
Week 12: Mar 27 – Mar 31
M Rez Life
W Rez Life
F Group #5 Snatched Away Rez Life
Week 13: Apr 3 – Apr 7
M Urban Indians
W Urban Indians
F High Cotton/Urban Indians
Week 14: Apr 10 – Apr 14
M Urban Indians
W Urban Indians
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F Beading Lesson/Urban Indians
Week 15: Apr 17 – Apr 21
M Urban Indians
W Urban Indians
F Turtle Meat/Urban Indians
Week 16: Final Paper Due
W Apr 26 (Cleveland 23C): Rez Life or Urban Indians/Your Choice