Beyond Settler Borders: an Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies

ENGLISH 188N Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This course provides students with a general introduction to the historic and contemporary experiences of Indigenous peoples, with a focus on Indigenous peoples of various tribes and nations of North America and Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands (Oceania) from the regions of Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Australia. Through the works of Indigenous scholars, writers, storytellers, filmmakers, and activists, we will explore four foundational concepts in Indigenous Studies: Indigeneity, Sovereignty, Resurgence/Revitalization, and Indigenous Feminisms. Each week builds understanding of how these concepts transcend colonial boundaries and shape contemporary Indigenous movements globally while examining their historical foundations.

Students will learn key frameworks for understanding Indigenous experiences that cross imposed settler colonial borders, including decolonization, self-determination, land-based pedagogies, language revitalization, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Moving beyond nation-state frameworks, this course examines how Indigenous peoples maintain connections across territories divided by colonization and how traditional governance systems challenge Western political boundaries. We pay particular attention to how categories of race, gender, and sexuality intersect with Indigenous identity and transnational organizing.