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Requirements for a Native Studies Minor

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Completion of the minor requires twenty-one units of credit, fifteen of which must be upper-division courses, and twelve of which must be completed at CSUSM. Courses must be completed with a grade of C or better to count toward the minor.

One course must be an internship (NATV 498 or a relevant internship in any discipline), approved by the native studies coordinator, which brings the student into direct contact with a native community.

In addition, at least one course must be chosen from each of the four areas below, plus two electives taken from any of the areas below. With consent of the program coordinator, as many as six units of Independent Study (NATV 390 or a relevant independent study in any discipline) may be counted toward the Minor.

I. History: Courses in this area should provide a knowledge of the broad issues and problems of native history as well as an understanding of the specific periods discussed.

HIST 3373
HIST 3383
HIST 300J3

II. Culture: Courses in the culture area should expose the student to the complexity and diversity of native cultures and encourage further exploration and participation.

ANTH 3023
ANTH 3253
MUSC 3223
MUSC 3903
MUSC 4223

III. Social Context: Courses in this area should help students understand the multicultural character of societies in which native people live, the place of native peoples within those societies, and the meaning of native identity in a multicultural context.

ANTH 2003
COMM 3303
HIST 3563

IV. Environmental Context: Courses in this area are concerned with resource development, urbanization, and other aspects of environmental change, and should help students understand how such change affects native communities.

ANTH 3703
BIOL 3383
BIOL 3393
ECON 3253

Additional Courses

NATV 3903
NATV 4983
 
Total Units:21


COURSES:

NATV 390 Independent Study in Native Themes. Allows students to explore historical, cultural, social, and environmental questions significant to native communities under the supervision of a faculty member in the appropriate discipline.

NATV 498 Internship in a Native Community. This course may be considered the capstone of the Native Studies minor, which is designed to equip students for service to native communities. Students will be expected to provide a minimum of one hundred hours of faculty-monitored service with institutions serving reservation or urban native communities, such as (but not limited to) schools, libraries, clinics, urban service centers, youth programs, and study projects supervised by native entities (such as environmental studies).