The University of Kansas requires Master’s students to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours at the graduate level and to pass an oral exam.
The GINSP Program requires students to complete:
Students are required take the following three core courses. GINSP offers these courses only once each year. Please plan accordingly.
INS 800 Research Methods and Indigenous Peoples
(3 Credit Hours)
This course focuses on teaching the skills, standards, processes, and ethics of critical and intuitive thinking and quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is those kinds of mental activities which are clear, precise, and purposeful. Critical thinking is also typically associated with solving complex real world problems, generating multiple (or creative) solutions to a problem, drawing inferences, synthesizing and integrating information, distinguishing between fact and opinion, or estimating potential outcomes, but it can also refer to the process of evaluating the quality of one's own thinking . . . ” (www.senate.psu.edu/curriculum_resources/guide/glossary.html).
Intuitive thinking
Intuitive thinking is understanding a statement, or making a decision subconsciously or reflexively, i.e., in the same way that people converse, and most jazz musicians improvise – more intuitively than cognitively. (www.jazzinamerica.org/l_glossary.asp). Intuitive approaches incorporate the use of (subjective) dreams, meditation, spontaneity, consciousness, and perception.
Quantitative and Qualitative research methods
The objective of quantitative research is to use mathematical models, theories, and hypothesis to examine and assess the relationships between phenomena. The objective of qualitative research is to use strategies to examine the meanings, themes, concepts, definitions, characteristics, metaphors, symbols, and descriptions of things.
These three areas enable students to become knowledge-guided practitioners who are able to use research as a scientific (and intuitive) method of discovery to obtain “objective” and “subjective” feedback in their work in Indigenous communities. As students increase their understanding of critical and intuitive thinking and quantitative and qualitative research methods they will become more adept at critiquing research and carrying out their own research design and agenda. Students will discover that much of what they learn in this course draws upon the knowledge and skills that they have been using throughout their lives. This course, thus, is intended to build upon student strengths and develop the research capacities of students to enable them to intelligently and effectively confront Indigenous issues.
INS 801 Indigenous Peoples of the World
(3 credit hours)
This course provides a critical overview of the historical and current state of the Indigenous peoples of the world. Through readings, videos, and class discussion, we will seek to answer such questions as: who are world Indigenous peoples and how have they been categorized in relation to “ethnic groups,” and nationalism, colonization and globalization? How have current struggles over water rights, timber, oil and other natural resources affected Indigenous peoples? How are Indigenous peoples across the globe approaching the processes of decolonization and sovereignty? We will also examine the concept of the “Fourth World” as it relates to Indigenous peoples.
With a world Indigenous population conservatively estimated at 250 million, it will be impossible to cover every group. Therefore, we will pay close attention to certain “hot spots” around the globe, including the Indigenous peoples of Latin America, circumpolar peoples, Australia and New Zealand, and certain groups in Africa and Asia.
INS 802 Indigenous Decolonization and Empowerment
(3 credit hours)
This course focuses on the foundation of Indigenous Studies, that is, Indigenous concepts of decolonization, empowerment, and Nation-building. The first section of the course will explore how the lives of Indigenous people have been affected by colonization, in addition to the varying definitions of “colonialism,” “colonizer” and the “colonized.” The bulk of the course will deal with how Indigenous peoples have attempted to “decolonize” (or empower) themselves and their communities. “Decolonization” is an enormous topic and we cannot cover every area; however, the principles and politics of decolonization and Indigenous knowledge remain the same no matter the issue. Topics covered in the course include philosophies behind decolonization that have been developed and implemented by Indigenous intellectuals; language loss and revitalization efforts; effective activism and leadership; protecting yourself while decolonizing (that is, while speaking out, asking for assistance, filing complaints, etc.); decolonizing curriculums for all grade levels; insisting on accuracy in literature; the importance of environmental protection and sustainability to cultural survival; recovering Indigenous knowledge to solve modern problems; the deterioration and revitalization of Indigenous health; and, the important field that is usually given little attention: Indigenous journalism. This course will not focus on treaty law or sovereignty. There are courses that deal exclusively with those topics. There are literally hundreds of examples of decolonization initiatives in the U.S., and even more global examples, such as Africa’s "Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network," the Indigenous Summit on the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Mexican Indigenous environmental activists, the Amazonian environmental group Accion Ecologica, the Pacific Indigenous Rights Working Group, the World Bank’s Africa Region Department’s program on Indigenous knowledge, etc. This course will continually bring in these and many other projects and initiatives for comparative discussion
Note: For the 2007-2008 academic year, INS 804 Introduction to Graduate Study in Indigenous Nations Studies substitutes as a core course requirement in lieu of INS 802 Indigenous Decolonization and Empowerment
Students pursuing the M.A. in Indigenous Nations Studies must complete a minimum of 31 to 34 graduate credit hours, depending upon the area of concentration. The Tribal Policy and Governance Concentration requires the completion of 31 minimum credit hours. The Preservation and Management of Indigenous Resources Concentration, includes the following separate concentrations or areas of specialization, and minimum credit hours: Cultural Preservation Management (34 minimum credit hours); Environmental Science and Resources Management (31 minimum credit hours); and Language Documentation and Revitalization (34 minimum credit hours).
This area of concentration prepares students for the practical challenges associated with exercising Indigenous self-determination and inherent sovereignty. To the Indigenous nations, survival depends on the revitalization of all aspects of Indigenous life, such as culture, economics, government, and legal affairs. The curriculum provides the foundation necessary to implement sovereignty development initiatives by using a dual focus: (1) study of the law, politics, and economics affecting Indigenous nations and surrounding states and (2) study of broader societal phenomena.
(31 credits minimum)
Required Core Courses
INS 800 Research Methods and Indigenous Peoples
INS 801 Indigenous Peoples of the World
INS 802 Indigenous Decolonization and Empowerment (Fulfilled by
“Introduction to Graduate Study in Indigenous Nations Studies”
in Fall 2007)
Required Concentration Courses
INS 804 Tribal-Federal Relationship: Law and Policy
INS 824/914 Federal Indian Law
Choose 15 credits from Following Electives
INS 803 Issues Facing Indigenous Peoples
INS 804 Decolonizing Narratives: Indigenous Literature and Culture
in the Age of Sovereignty
INS 804 Economic Development and Indigenous Nations
INS 804 Global Health, American Indians and Complementary Medicine
INS 804 Indian Gaming
INS 804 Indigenous Oral Traditions
INS 810 Indigenous Women and Activism
INS 811 Applied Indigenous Leadership
INS 812 Native American Oppression, Resistance, and Liberation
INS 865 Grant Writing and Fund Raising
INS 866 Indigenous Museum Management
INS 876 Comparative Law
INS 882 Native American Natural Resources
INS 883 Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Indigenous Nations
HIST 618 History of the American West to 1900
HIST 800 Readings in: Native American History
LAW 988 Tribal Judicial Support Clinic
POLS 684 International Law: The State and the Individual
PUAD 824 Public Policy and Administration
SOC 873 International Political Economy
Internship: INS 807 encouraged but not required.
Thesis/Non-Thesis Project: INS 899 required.
This area of concentration trains professionals for positions in
institutions responsible for collecting and caring for the material
record of the natural and cultural world; for studying these collections
to create new knowledge; and for sharing the results of these activities
through exhibit and public educational procedures. As Indigenous
nations continue their efforts at self-determination and decolonization,
the need to provide for care of cultural patrimony arises.
For this area of concentration, each degree candidate must serve
a supervised Internship in an approved museum or historical agency,
full time for one semester or half time for two semesters, for six
(6) total semester hours of credit.
(34 credits minimum)
Required Core Courses
INS 800 Research Methods and Indigenous Peoples
INS 801 Indigenous Peoples of the World
INS 802 Indigenous Decolonization and Empowerment (Fulfilled by
“Introduction to Graduate Study in Indigenous Nations Studies”
in Fall 2007)
Required Concentration Courses
INS 866 Indigenous Museum Management
INS 867 Indigenous Records Management I
INS 869 Traditional Care of Collections
Choose 9 Credits from Following Electives
INS 804 Decolonizing Narratives: Indigenous Literature and Culture
in the Age of Sovereignty
INS 804 Indigenous Oral Traditions
INS 862 Indigenous Archives
INS 863 Oral History
INS 864 Exhibiting Culture
INS 865 Grant Writing and Fund Raising
INS 868 Indigenous Records Management II
INS 875 Native and Western Views of Nature
MUSE 702 Nature of Museums
MUSE 704 Principles and Practices of Museum Collection Management
MUSE 705 Introduction to Museum Public Education
MUSE 706 Conservation: Principles & Practices
Internship: INS 807 (6 hours) required.
Thesis/Non-Thesis Project: INS 899 required.
Indigenous autonomy over lands and natural resources is a major component of tribal sovereignty. This concentration examines traditional approaches and perspectives as it relates to the management of Indigenous ecosystems. The curriculum provides students with the knowledge and skills to analyze, understand, and provide solutions to modern environmental issues including ecological distress, conservation, and resource management.
(31 credits minimum)
Required Core Courses
INS 800 Research Methods and Indigenous Peoples
INS 801 Indigenous Peoples of the World
INS 802 Indigenous Decolonization and Empowerment (Fulfilled by
“Introduction to Graduate Study in Indigenous Nations Studies”
in fall 2007)
Required Concentration Courses
INS 873 Natural Resource Mgmt: Indigenous Perspective
INS 874 Environmental Justice
INS 882 Native American Natural Resources
Choose 12 credits from following Electives
INS 803 Issues Facing Indigenous Peoples
INS 804 Decolonizing Narratives: Indigenous Literature & Culture
in the Age of Sovereignty
INS 811 Applied Indigenous Leadership
INS 865 Grant Writing and Fund Raising
INS 875 Native and Western Views of Nature
INS 877 Public Lands and Natural Resources
INS 878 Regulations of Air and Water Pollution
INS 879 Water Law
BIOL 602 Plant Ecology
BIOL 630 Conservation and Wildlife Ecology
EVRN 615 Environmental Impact Assessment
GEOG 758 Geographic Information Science
GEOG 790 North American Regions
GEOG 791 Latin American Regions
Internship: INS 807 encouraged but not required
Thesis/Non-Thesis Project: INS 899 required.
This concentration provides theoretical as well as practical experience in the development of curriculum and materials for Indigenous language teaching. The curriculum provides the foundation necessary to evaluate a community’s language situation, form a team of language planners, and formulate an action plan to meet challenges of language revitalization, and implement and evaluate the plan. The ultimate goal is to train language teachers who in turn will produce a new generation of speakers who bring life to the ancestral languages of Indigenous peoples. Each degree candidate must serve a supervised apprenticeship with an Indigenous language program or a teacher-training institute. The internship covers a four-week period either consecutively or in intervals. Students are involved in the actual teaching of a language if appropriate, developing curriculum units and/or lesson plans, developing language teaching materials, training language teachers, designing a language program, evaluating the effectiveness of a program, teaching methods and techniques, or language materials. Students should enroll in three (3) credits for each four-week internship program.
(34 credits minimum)
Required Core Courses
INS 800 Research Methods and Indigenous Peoples
INS 801 Indigenous Peoples of the World
INS 802 Indigenous Decolonization and Empowerment (Fulfilled by
“Introduction to Graduate Study in Indigenous Nations Studies”
in fall 2007)
Required Concentration Courses
C&T 822 Second Language Acquisition
LING 700 Intro to Linguistic Science
LING 810 Seminar in Ethnolinguistics: Language Endangerment
LING 740 Language Data Processing (Serves as “pre-thesis credit)
OR
LING 741 Fieldwork Methods (Serves as “pre-thesis” credit)
Choose 9 credits from Following Electives
INS 862 Archives
INS 863 Oral History
C&T 709 Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction
C&T 820 Teaching English as a Second Language/Bilingual Education
C&T 816 Diagnosis & Remediation in Second Language
C&T 823 Developing Intercultural Awareness in the 2nd Lang Classroom
LING 705 Phonetics I
LING 709 Intro to Language Acquisition
LING 715 Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition
LING 730 Linguistics in Anthropology
LING 822 Seminar on Acquisition of Language
LING 970 The Structure of (specific Native language)
Internship: INS 807 (3-6 hours) required
Thesis/Non-Thesis Project: INS 899 required
| Global Indigenous Nations Studies 104 Lippincott, 1410 Jayhawk Blvd. University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 |
Phone: (785) 864-2660 Fax: (785) 864-0370 Email: indigenous@ku.edu |