ETS 280 - NATIVE AMERICAN IDENTITIES AND CULTURE
Tuesdays and Thursdays
2:30 pm -3:45 pmRoom: FA 253
Fall 2014 •University of Nevada, Reno
Debra Harry, Ph.D.
Office/Mailbox: GRI, MSS RM 124
Office Hours:Weekdays, By appointment
Office Phone: 775-338-5983
Email:
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND CORE OBJECTIVES
This course will introduce students to a comparative analysis of Indigenous and Western/settler worldviews in relation to land and human rights issues. This course will also provide students with the opportunity to examine with a critical lens, historical and contemporary issues impacting Indigenous Peoples with an emphasis on the Numu (Northern Paiute) and Newe (Western Shoshone) Nations, and other Indigenous Peoples within a local, national and international framework. Students will explore issues related to Indigenous Peoples land and treaty rights, and right of self-determination. Students will also examine key concepts such as “inherent rights”, “Doctrine of Discovery”, “self-determination”, “cultural identity” and “biocolonialism” as underlying themes in relation to Indigenous peoples’ historical and contemporary issues. This course will also engage students to examine key developments of US federal Indian laws and policies and their impacts on Indigenous Nations today. The final component of this course will provide students with an overview of the chronology of Indigenous Peoples’ advocacy and work within various international fora, and other contemporary issues impacting Indigenous Peoples.
This course satisfies Core Objective 10 of the Silver Core Curriculum:
CO10. Diversity and Equity: Students will demonstrate an understanding of diversity through courses that focus on topics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, physical ability, language, and/or social class with an emphasis on the analysis of equity. Students will apply and evaluate approaches or modes of inquiry used to analyze diversity and equity and the social barriers to these goals.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Examine and provide a comparative analysis concerning indigenous peoples’ perspectives and worldviews, and contrast them to settler society paradigms.
- Identify and examine with a critical lens, impacts of key laws and policies and its impacts on Indigenous Peoples from a historical and contemporary context.
- Identify and explain the complex linkages between Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests in relation to globalization.
- Synthesize the course materials into a coherent whole, and make connections between the issues of Indigenous Peoples and other national, regional or global developments.
READINGS
- Articles and other short readings are listed in detail on the schedule.
NOTE: Students should review the course WebCampus page as well as this syllabus in the first week of class and check WebCampus at least once a week for new information and announcements during the semester. The majority of readings will be posted on WebCampus denoted by (WC) in the required reading for each week.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance: I expect you to attend class faithfully, to arrive on time, and to stay the full class period. A sign-in sheet will be available for you to sign during class to document your attendance. Arriving late or leaving early will affect your attendance grade.
Participation: Participation includes completing the readings, active participation in class discussions, and active participation and completion of any and all in-class activities.
Essays: There will be two short essays required in the course.
Exams: There will be an in-class exam for each Course Unit (three in total). In addition, there will be a final in class written exam during the final course. These exams will require you to demonstrate careful reading and to synthesize this with your broader learning in the class.
Absences: I require a 1-day advance notice for absencesthat will require you to miss a scheduled in-class essay or exam due to observance of a religious holiday or other University-sanctioned function. If you miss an in-class essay or exam due to illness or other significant event, you may make up the missed course work upon presentation of a doctor’s note, or proof of some other significant and compelling reasonthat explains your absence.In no case will an exam be given to a student prior to its scheduled time/date.
GRADING SCALE
- Participation – 10%of grade
- Attendance - 15% of grade (28 classes)
- In-Class Exams (3) - 30% of grade
- Short Essays (2) - 20% of grade
- Final Exam - (25% of grade)
I use a standard grading scale with percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.
93-100% = A90-92% = A- / 87-89% = B+
83-86% = B
80-82% = B- / 77-79% = C+
73-76% = C
70-72% = C- / 60-69% = D
0-59% = F
POLICIES
Principles of Respectful Discussion
This course will provide a wealth of information on topics that allows us to see ourselves and our world from a different vantage point. To facilitate this process, we invite and encourage debate, discussion, dissention, and a general free exchange of ideas. I expect members of the class to interact with intellectual collegiality and respect for one another. Any speech that is deliberately demeaning or targeted to inflict harm on anyone in the class will not be tolerated. Students will be evaluated strictly on their ability to engage in critical academic analysis and not on their political positions. In keeping with this philosophy, we place a higher value on ideas that are grounded in scholarly analysis and discourse.
Office Hours and Writing Center: I have a mailbox at MSS301 but do not keep regular office hours on campus. If you would like to meet outside of classroom hours, please email me to set up an appointment and I will schedule a time and place to meet.
Email Communication: I make every attempt to respond to emails quickly (within 24 hours, or 48 hours on weekends or when on travel status). You can facilitate my reply by being sure your email shows your full name and a subject line and by following guidelines for professional communication.
Students With Disabilities: I am committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone. If you need to request accommodations for a disability, please alert me and contact the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Building Suite 100, 775-784-6000, http://www.unr.edu/drc).
UNR Policy on Audio and Video Recording: “Surreptitious or covert videotaping or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and Board of Regents policy.This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor.
In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may be given permission to record class lectures and discussions.Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded.”
Academic Honesty: The University does not tolerate plagiarism, cheating, or any other form of academic dishonesty. As stated in the University Administrative Manual, plagiarism means “submitting the language, ideas, thoughts or work of another as one's own; or assisting in the act of plagiarism by allowing one's work to be used in this fashion.” This refers to material from any source, including online. Penalties for plagiarism include an F in the course and a report to Student Judicial Affairs. It is your responsibility to understand and avoid plagiarism and other academic dishonesty. If you have questions, please discuss with me. Academic Standards are defined in the University Administrative Manual, 6,502.
Schedulesubject to change at professor’s discretion
I may make minor changes to the syllabus in order to accommodate guest speaker’s availabilityor to address other unanticipated needs.
Complete the readings by the date they are listed and be prepared for in class discussion. Participation will be measured through in class discussion. Readings posted on WebCampus are designated as (WC).
UNIT 1 - INTRODUCTION
Week 1 Course Introduction and Expectations
08/26/14Instructor and Student Introductions, Review Syllabus, Introduction, fundamental concepts, vocabulary, common perceptions of indigenous peoples.
In Class Exercise:“Why are you taking this class? What are your intellectual aspirations in this course?”
08/28/14Overview of the State of Indigenous Peoples
Definition of Indigenous Peoples
Reading: United Nations. The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. NY: Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2009. Pps. 12-22, and 33-37.
WEEK 2 Local Pyramid Lake Paiute History
09/02/2014Overview: Pyramid Lake Paiute History
Reading: Ferol Egan, Sand In a Whirlwind: The Paiute Indian War of 1860, Ch. 7 pps 91-96, and Ch. 10 pps 125-155.WC
09/04/2014View Film, “That Was a Happy Life: A Paiute Woman Remembers,” by Joann Peden, UNR (1993)
WEEK 3Western Shoshone Land Struggles
09/09/2014View the film, “Broken Treaty at Battle Mountain”, by Joel Freedman, Cinnamon Productions (1973)
09/11/2014View the film, “To Protect Mother Earth.” (Broken Treaty II), by Joel Freedman, Cinnamon Productions (1989)
WEEK 4 Indigenous Peoples – Settler World Views
09/16/2014Overview - Indigenous Peoples and Settler World Views
Reading: John Mohawk, A Seneca Greeting-Relationship Requires Us to Be Thankful, in Melissa Nelson (Ed.) Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable World, Bear & Company (2008) WC
Reading: Corbin Harney, The Nature Way: Wisdom from a Western Shoshone Elder, University of Nevada Press (2009) Pps. 80-88. (WC)
09/18/2014Indigenous Peoples and Settler World Views, Part 2
Reading: Armstrong, Jeannette, “Sharing One Skin: the Okanagan Community.” Pp. 460-470 in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds.), The Case Against the Global Economy, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books (1996). Available on WC and at the following link:
http://www.dces.wisc.edu/documents/ies-112/Armstrong%201996%20sharing%20one%20skin.pdf
Reading: Benjamin Franklin:Remarks concerning the Savages of North America, available at the following link:
Class Exam #1
UNIT 2 The Doctrine of Discovery
WEEK 5The Doctrine of Discovery
09/23/2014Overview – Columbus and the Doctrine of Discovery
Reading: Luis Rivera, Ch. 1, The Mythology of the Discovery, pps. 4-14, in A Violent Evangelism: The Political and Religious Conquest of the Americas (1990)
09/25/2014Overview: Valladolid Debates
Reading: Valladolid Debates
View at: de Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account, pps. 27-34, pps. 127-130(WC)
In Class Short Essay Exercise #1 due Tuesday 9/30/2014 at 2:30 pm
WEEK 6Doctrine of Discovery – Legal Issues
09/30/2014Overview - TheMarshall Trilogy
Reading: d’Errico, Peter, “Four Strikes: Johnson v. M’Intosh is Out,” Indian Country Today 11 January 2010 (WC)
10/02/2014Overview – Historical Timeline of Federal Indian Policy
View film: PBS We Shall Remain: Wounded Knee
WEEK 7Impact of USEducational Policies on Indigenous Peoples
10/07/2014Impact of US Educational Policies on Indigenous Peoples
Reading: “Kill the Indian, Save the Man”: Capt. Richard H. Pratt on the Education of Native Americans” available at the following link:
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4929/
10/09/2014View Film: ‘In the White Man’s image” - UNR KC Multimedia Center V05897
WEEK 8Cultural Genocide
10/14/2014Lecture by Xabier Iruho, Cultural Genocide
Exam Review
10/16/2014In-Class Exam #2
UNIT 3Stories of Resistance
WEEK 9Globalization and Indigenous Peoples
10/21/2014View Film “Even The Rain” (2011) 1 hr 43 min
10/23/2014View Film “Even The Rain” (2011) 1 hr 43 min (continued)
Class Simulation and Discussion – based on Even the Rain film.
Noam Chomsky, Prospects for Survival
WEEK 10Indigenous Peoples Resistance
10/28/2014Indigenous Peoples Resistance
Reading: Chapters 13 in Paradigm Wars: Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance to Globalization; (WC)
10/30/2014Indigenous Peoples Resistance
Reading: Chapters 23 in Paradigm Wars: Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance to Globalization; (WC)
Evo Morales: 10 Commandments To Save the Planet, available online at: m/2008/10/20/evo -mo rales-10-co mmandments-to -save-the-planet/
WEEK 11Indigenous Peoples and Biocolonialism
11/04/2014Overview of Globalization and The Role of Patents in Biocolonialism
Reading: Gold, E. Richard, Body Parts: Property Rights And The Ownership Of Human Biological Materials, (excerpts from Ch. 4 – The Discourse of Discovery pp. 64-69, 78-85) (WC)
View Film Clips: The Leech and the Earthworm, IPCB/Yeast Productions, (2003)
11/06/2014 Overview – Genetically Modified Organisms
Viewing Film Clip, Genetic Roulette, Chapter 19
In Class Short Essay Exercise #2
WEEK 12Indigenous Peoples and Human Genetic Research
11/11/2014No Class – Veteran’s Day
11/13/2014Overview – Indigenous Peoples and Human Genetic Research
Reading: Harry, Debra, “Indigenous Peoples and Gene Disputes” 84 Chicago-Kent Law Review (2009). (Section II: Common Issues pp. 179-193.) (WC)
View Film Clip: The Gene Hunters, Zef Productions (1990)
Review and In Class Exam #3
UNIT 4Indigenous Peoples and Contemporary Issues
WEEK 13Representations of Indigenous Peoples in Media
11/18/2014Indigenous Peoples in Film and Literature
Reading: Churchill, Ward, Fantasies of the Master Race (WC)
11/20/2014Discussion on Stereotypes in the Media
Reading: Hopkins, Ruth. “Tribalism as Pop Culture Phenomenon and the Perpetuation of Offensive American Indian Stereotypes”, August 19, 2011 at: 14UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
11/25/2014Overview – Development of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Reading: Sharon H Venne, The Road To The United Nations And Rights Of Indigenous Peoples, Griffith Law Review(2011) Vol 20 No 3, P. 557-577(WC)
11/27/2014No class – Thanksgiving Holiday
WEEK 15Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources
12/02/2014Indigenous Peoples Rights Beyond the UNDRIP
Reading: Declaration of Continuing Independence (1976) See at:
– Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources
Reading: Harry, Debra, ‘Biocolonialism and Indigenous Knowledge in United Nations Discourse,’ Griffith Law Review, Volume 20, No. 3, 2011 (WC)
12/09/2014Review and Preparation for Final Exam
WEEK 16Final Exam
12/11/2014Final Exam – 12:30 – 2:00 pm FA 253
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