The Program

Students must be in good standing in a university major to enroll. A minimum of six courses (18 credits) is required for the Certificate. Students develop individualized programs, which must be previously approved by the director. The requirements are intended to provide a broad introduction to the histories and contemporary issues affecting Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and around the world, with particular emphasis on Indigenous peoples of the Greater Northeast where UMass is located; to develop an understanding of ongoing colonization and what this means in terms of land, sovereignty and other issues; and to expose students to the rich cultural heritage of Native American and Indigenous literature, orality, and other expressive forms. Students completing the program will be expected to have a basic understanding of discrete Native American traditions as well as the larger similarities shared by these various communities.

Requirements
1. ANTHRO 370 Contemporary Issues of North American Indians: Focus on the Northeast
2. One course in each of the following areas: diversity among Native Americans; contemporary issues; and cultural expression (see below).
3. Two additional courses from any of the three Curriculum Areas.
4. A maximum of three courses will be accepted from any department.

The Curriculum Areas
Offerings on this campus and at the other colleges vary each semester, and special topics courses and seminars may be available which are not included in this catalog. Students should contact the director for course suggestions each semester, and for information on which courses fall into the different areas. The following is a partial list of courses in each of the required areas of the curriculum.

Diversity Area:
AFROAM 397B Native Americans and African Americans
ANTHRO 337 Mesoamerican Archaeology
ANTHRO 369 North American Archaeology
ANTHRO 375 South American Archaeology
ANTHRO 397 Andean Archaeology
HISTORY 397 Indigenous Women
NRC 579 Cree Culture, Natural Resources and Sustainability

Contemporary Issues Area:
ANTHRO 376 South American Ethnology
EDUC 377 Introduction to Multicultural Education
GEO-SCI 497S Indigenous Peoples and Conservation
HISTORY 397 Native American Activism
HISTORY 497 Indigenous Peoples and the U.N.
LEGAL 470 Indigenous Peoples—Global Issues
POLSCI 397 Indigenous Politics and Social Movements in Latin America
STPEC 394D They Taught You Wrong

Cultural Expression Area:
ANTHRO 234 Art in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTHRO 497A Native American Languages
COMM 497 Native American Communication and Culture
ENGLISH 116 Native American Literature
LINGUIST 391 Indigenous Languages of North America
SPANISH 397Q Quechua Language
THEATER 130 Contemporary Playwrights of Color

© 2017 University of Massachusetts AmherstSite Policies
This page is maintained by UMass Amherst Information Technology.