Spring Semester
University of Montana
3 Semester Credits
Heather Cahoon
Office: PFNAC 204
Event Planning
NASX 180 Syllabus
Course description: This course is intended for students to learn the skills necessary to put on a
large event. The course is intended as a hands-on experiential learning course, and for students to
become familiar with the historic and cultural foundation of pow-wows in Indian communities.
The culmination of the course will be putting on the annual Kyi-Yo contest pow-wow, the first
large regional pow-wow of the year on the circuit. Each week students will report on progress
made. Students are expected to fulfill all obligations during pow-wow weekend and complete all
follow up work afterwards to ensure that future planners will also have successful experience
putting on a large-scale event. Note: This is not a course to learn dancing, singing or
participating in pow-wows, it is a course in understanding, organizing and running a pow-wow.
Class meets 150 minutes per week.
Course Objectives
1. To provide the student with the basic skills and knowledge to prepare and put on a
large scale event. Students will focus on accomplishing specific tasks but will become
familiar with those tasks necessary for all aspects of planning and implementing largescale events
2. To provide the student with an understanding of the inner working foundations of a
large-scale pow-wow. Students will have a broad understanding of the tasks necessary to
plan and implement a pow-wow.
3. To provide the student with specific skills for carrying out committee tasks in their area
of interest.
4. To provide the student with an understanding of the cultural protocol necessary to
putting on a large event in Indian country.
5. To provide the student with basic knowledge of the history and cultural meaning of
pow-wows.
Learning Outcomes
1. The student will know basic event planning skills
2. The student will know the variety of tasks necessary to put on a successful contest
pow-wow
3. The student will know in-depth the specific tasks necessary to carry out a successful
pow-wow
4. The student will gain organizational skills in culturally appropriate settings
5. The student will be able to articulate the cultural and historical meaning of pow-wows
in Indian country
1
Required Readings
Judy Allen. Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide To Successful Meetings, Corporate Events,
Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events. Wiley:
2009.
Clyde Ellis, Luke Eric Lassiter and Gary H. Dunham. Powwow. Lincoln: University of Nebraska
Press, 2005.
Pow-wow guide prepared by previous Kyi-yo pow-wow classes.
Other readings as assigned
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Overview; Committee descriptions
Allen, Chapter 1
Week 2: Kyi-yo Pow-wow history; Committee Assignments
Allen, Chapter 2
Week 3: Foundations of Event Planning; Committee Reports
Pow-wow book assignment 1
Week 4: Committee Reports; focus on organizing head staff, drums and dancers
Allen, Chapter 3
Week 5: Committee Reports; focus on fundraising
Allen, Chapter 4
Week 6: Committee Reports; focus on security
Pow-wow book assignment 2
Week 7: Committee Reports; focus on admissions
Allen, Chapter 5
Week 8: Committee Reports; focus on registration
Allen, Chapter 6
Week 9: Committee Reports; focus on judging
Allen, Chapter 7
Week 10: Committee Reports; final pre-planning
Allen, Chapter 8-9
2
Week 11: Kyi Yo Pow Wow. Students spend weekend running pow-wow
Week 12: Report back; Committee Reports
Pow-wow book assignment 3
Week 13: Pre-planning for next year; Committee Reports
Week 14: Pre-planning for next year; Committee Reports
Pow-wow book assignment 4
Week 15: Committee Reports Due
Assignments:
Attendance/Participation: Must attend weekly and constructively participate in group activities
and instruction. Must actively participate in discussion of Allen book.
Journals: Hand in weekly. Typed or computer-generated description of the work you did for the
pow-wow that week. Will report on this in class. Must show weekly progress toward meeting
committee assignments. 1 point each week. Bonus for not missing.
Pow-wow book written assignments: Two page paper on assigned topic from reading. (4 papers
each due when Pow-wow reading is due).
Pow-Wow weekend: The instructor will have a sign-in sign-out sheet. You must sign in when
arriving and sign out when going off duty for your assigned times.
Report: Computer-generated written report of the tasks you and your committee are assigned.
Must be comprehensive enough to outline work of the committee so that future committees can
use it as a foundation for planning.
Follow-up: Assignments after the pow-wow to prepare for next year.
Points
Attendance/Participation
Journals
Pow-wow weekend
Report
Pow wow book papers
20
15
25
20
20
Grading
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
 60
3
A
B
C
D
F