Honoring Native Tradition and Community Through Academic Excellence

Indigenous Learning Communities
Concentration

305. Indigenous Self-Determination in Education. (3) Examines the roles of Indigenous people and communities in self-determining their education by redefining educational approaches and curriculum for Indigenous students.  Special emphasis on resistance to assimilation practices and policies.

315. Language Recovery, Revitalization & Community Renewal. (3) Examines Native language loss from the boarding school era to current trends in language planning and revitalization. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of language to culture and on current community renewal efforts by Native people.

361. Native American Children’s Literature. (3)
Representations of Native peoples in children’s literature examined for stereotypes and misrepresentations. Emphasis on developing criteria for evaluating children’s books, writing critical reviews and writing and/or illustrating their own children’s story.

402. Education, Power and Indigenous Communities. (3)
How economic, political and social power influences the education of indigenous youth is the emphasis of the course. Topics include who defines the concept of an “educated person” and in what contexts.

450. Topics in Native American Studies. Topics courses taught by faculty from the University of New Mexico and the surrounding community which vary according to the instructor’s expertise.

460. Language and Education in Southwest Native
American Communities. (3) (Also offered as LLSS 460/560 and Ling 436/536.) This course explores the historical context of education and its impact on Native American communities of the Southwest. Topics include Native language acquisition, bilingualism, language shift, and language revitalization efforts in Native communities and schools.
        
462. Native American Narrative. (3) Native American stories function much like food for the soul. Students will learn an inter-disciplinary context how ancestral and contemporary stories, oral and written, continue to represent the thoughts, values and life ways of Native people.

Indigenous Learning Communities Concentration Worksheet:  Track your major progress ( DOWNLOAD PDF )