Indigenous Knowledge
Department of Applied Indigenous Studies
AIS 390, Spring 2016, 3 credit hours
Tuesday and Thursday, 12:45-2pm
This course meets the following curriculum designations:
1. Liberal Studies distribution block: Cultural Understanding;
essential skill: Critical Thinking;
2. Global Diversity.
Prof. Chris Jocks
SBS West 9B ∙ christopher.jocks@nau.edu ∙ 523-6140 (campus phone: 3-6140)
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10-11:30am (or by appointment).
Course description:
Indigenous knowledge is alive, many-faceted, and manifestly relevant in the 21st century.
Its origins are by definition non-Euro-American, rooted in local communities, environments,
histories, and languages. Yet is also increasingly globalized as Indigenous people use
contemporary forms of creative expression to share and compare strategies, knowledge,
and inspiration in order to understand and meet global challenges.
In this semester we will first gather our minds by walking over some of the vast territories
where Indigenous knowledge lives. Food, medicine, healing, astronomy, psychology,
religion, economics, ecology, politics, education, memory, artistic expression, and
architecture, are some of the English-language loci we will visit, but where possible we will
incorporate concepts and explanations grounded in Indigenous languages.
Despite the damages incurred by colonialism, Indigenous nations and people continue to
cherish and use systems of knowledge derived from their own distinct histories and
homelands. In some cases these systems have survived in part because their traditions of
teaching and learning are decentralized and personalized. They are inherently nonWestern, regardless of which continent they inhabit. A core of specific examples will be
drawn from the Indigenous Southwest as well as Canadian First Nations, Indigenous people
of Mexico and Hawaii, Aboriginal people of Australia, and Maori traditions from New
Zealand. Other examples will be presented based on the availability of guest speakers and
supplemental course materials.
Guest speakers, dynamic presentations, and fieldwork opportunities, will provide students
with some experience of these diverse and generally unfamiliar cultural systems. Readings,
lectures, and discussions will provide analytical frameworks that combine Indigenous and
academic theory. Class assignments will enable students to master these conceptual tools
as well as deepen their holistic understanding and appreciation of these complex and
historically misunderstood systems of knowledge.
Finally, students will develop projects that will explore and demonstrate specific examples
of their own choosing. We will look for and develop examples that incorporate both
imaginative concepts and practical solutions.
Liberal Studies Distribution Block of Cultural Understanding: As indicated above,
through readings and class presentations students in this course will gain an understanding
of global Indigenous cultures different from their own, growing out of distinct non-western
histories and homelands. Through guest speakers and online conferencing students will
additionally have the opportunity to experience aspects of these diverse cultures. Research
and presentation projects will enable students to develop a deeper appreciate for these
cultures, and gain analytical skills in understanding the interrelationships between culture,
society, science, economy, and creative expression, in Indigenous worlds.
Liberal Studies Essential Skill of Critical Thinking: This course will develop critical
thinking through all of its assignments and expectations. Critical thinking encompasses the
analytical skills students will develop in order to begin to effectively translate cultural
concepts and practices across very divergent intellectual frameworks; and to critically
analyze differences as well as commonalities; and to articulate the work of Indigenous
practitioners in advancing the decolonization of their worlds. These skills will be essential
for students who may wish to do further work, before and after graduation, to assist
Indigenous nations and communities in protecting and cultivating these systems of
knowledge and practice.
AIS Mission: The mission of Applied Indigenous Studies is to provide students with the
knowledge and tools to contribute to the sustainability of indigenous communities in the 21st
century. Using a curriculum to community approach, students in AIS are prepared to move from
learning to action, applying Native ways of knowing for the benefit of indigenous communities
within the US and abroad.
AIS Student Outcomes: Students in AIS will gain comprehensive knowledge in four key areas:
1) tribal policy, politics, and administration 2) indigenous environmental science, health, and
management 3) cultural resource management, indigenous knowledge, and expressive culture and
4) sustainable economic development and indigenous entrepreneurship.
This course belongs to the third category: AIS courses that fall under the cultural resource
management, indigenous knowledge, and expressive culture designation prepare students to
apply laws, policies, regulations and executive orders unique to American Indian tribal nations in
the United States as well as international legal standards applicable to Indigenous peoples
worldwide to manage and protect culturally significant sites and resources. AIS graduates will
also be able to engage traditional knowledge keepers in processes of developing and
implementing laws and policies unique to a specific tribe or Indigenous community that are
appropriate to that particular community and ensure cultural continuity and sustainability, such as
protection of and access to natural resources. Students will also develop an appreciation and
understanding of the rich variety of Indigenous expression rooted in cultural lifeways, including
music, film, dance, art, literature, language, and spirituality.
Learning Expectations and Outcomes for AIS 390:
During this course you will:
1. Explain the variety, depth, cultural context, and practical applications of diverse examples of
Indigenous knowledge world-wide;
2. Integrate unique features, concepts, and perspectives of Indigenous knowledge systems from
a variety sources, including lectures and workshops with NAU Traditional Knowledge
Scholars, guest lecturers, and online conferences with Indigenous scholars worldwide, to gain
direct experience with Indigenous knowledge rooted in northern Arizona;
3. Research, reflect, and write about the status and unique perspectives of Indigenous
knowledge today, including its experiential dimensions and the benefits it may provide, and
how it can be supported;
4. Explore the importance of traditional languages in the cultivation of Indigenous knowledge,
as well as understand the filtering imposed on cultures of the world when this knowledge is
approached in translation.
Course structure/approach:
This course will include lectures, group discussions, guest presentations, and hands-on
workshops. Our work will attempt to respect the structures of Indigenous knowledge, which are
developed and maintained in local, non-hierarchical, decentralized settings. The professor invites
ongoing dialog with students and members of Indigenous communities about our work.
Textbook and required materials:
1.
Cajete, Gregory. Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence. Clear Light Publishers,
1999. Dr. Cajete is a Tewa from Kha’Po, also known as Santa Clara Pueblo.
2.
Mead, Hirini Moko. Tikanga Māori: Living By Maori Values. Huia Publishers, 2013. Dr.
Mead is a professor of Maori studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
3.
Nelson, Melissa K., ed. Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable
Future. Bear & Company, 2008. This is an important collection featuring a global range of
Indigenous authorities.
4.
Smith, Linda Tuwahi. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples.
Second edition. Zed Books, 2012. Dr. Smith is an internationally recognized Maori scholar
and intellectual.
A course reader including excerpts from:
Berman, Tressa, ed. No Deal!: Indigenous Arts and the Politics of Possession. School for
Advanced Research Global Indigenous Politics. School for Advanced Research Press,
2012. This collection brings together artists, curators, and academics from Australia
and North America to discuss Indigenous and western epistemologies of art and
ownership.
Bourke, Colin, Eleanor Burke, and Bill Edwards, eds. Aboriginal Australia: An Introductory
Reader in Aboriginal Studies. Second edition. University of Queensland Press, 1998.
Harris, Michelle, Martin Nakata, and Bronwyn Carlson, eds. The Politics of Identity:
Emerging Indigeneity. University of Technology Sydney ePress, 2013.
Hokowhitu, Brendan, and Vijay Devadas, eds. The Fourth Eye: Maori Media in Aotearoa
New Zealand. Indigenous Americas. University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
Mann, Barbara Alice. Make a Beautiful Way: The Wisdom of Native American Women.
Bison Books, 2008. This is a collection of voices from Indigenous women from both
sides of the U.S./Canadian border.
Salmon, Enrique. Eating the Landscape: American Indian Stories of Food, Identity, and
Resilience. First Peoples: New Directions in Indigenous Studies. University of Arizona
Press, 2012. Dr. Salmon is from the Rarámuri people of the Sierra Tarahumara,
Mexico.
Wood, Houston. Native Features: Indigenous Films from Around the World. Bloomsbury
Academic Press, 2008.
Preliminary course outline:
I.
Weeks 1-2:
What is Indigenous knowledge?
Indigenous epistemologies; knowledge and practice; performed histories;
colonial impacts and Indigenous resistance and recovery.
Readings: Nelson; Harris.
II.
Weeks 3-5:
Practical Indigenous knowledge in the Americas
Indigenous social and political systems, women’s knowledge, artistic
expression; sustainable food systems.
Readings: Cajete; Mann; Salmon.
III. Weeks 6-7:
Global Indigenous knowledge in artistic expression
Global exchanges of Indigenous knowledge utilizing creative expression,
performance, and social media.
Readings: Berman; Hokowhitu and Devadas; Wood.
IV. Weeks 8-10: Indigenous knowledge work in Australia and New Zealand
Roots and distinctive qualities and characteristics of Maori and Aboriginal
Australian Indigenous knowledge; historical overview; current challenges.
Readings: Bourke; Mead.
V. Week 11-12: Indigenous theory and research
Summarizing based on Linda Tuwahi Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies.
Reading: Smith.
VI. Weeks 13-15: Student projects
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
Assessment of student outcomes will be based on the following:
1. Response papers: Every week you will write a short paper synthesizing and reflection on
what you have learned. On some weeks I will assign topics; on other weeks you will be able to
choose your own. These papers are important: they take the place of exams, which we will not
use.
These papers will be evaluated on coherence, your level of engagement with the material, and
your demonstrated understanding. Minimum length each week is 500 words. Each paper is
worth 7 points, or 105 points for the 15-week semester.
2. Group presentations: Twice during the semester, depending on enrollment in the class,
students will work in groups of 3 to present to the class on chapters from our readings, and lead a
discussion. Responsibilities for group members will be based on a discussion template. Groups
will be required to have an in-person or online planning meeting or chat session, before their
presentation. Further guidelines will be distributed.
Presentations will be evaluated based on a rubric that includes (1) an overall evaluation by the
class; evaluation by the professor as to both (2) comprehensiveness and (3) depth of engagement
in the group’s work as a whole; and (4) the professor’s evaluation of your individual contribution.
These presentations will be worth 30 points each, or 60 points total.
3. News stories: Twice during the semester you will make a 5-minute report to the class on a
news story that involves Indigenous knowledge. These are worth 15 points each; 30 points total.
4. Project: Your project will be a significant, in-depth exploration of a specific area of
Indigenous knowledge, demonstrating your understanding of all our course work and the critical
thinking skills you have developed, and applying all this to a specific subject. It could be a moreor-less standard research project, with a minimum expected length of 2,500 words (about 10
pages of standard text).
Your project could also include a hands-on demonstration, or it could be a creative project, for
example a work of artistic expression. Hands-on or creative projects must still have a written,
explanatory component. The length and parameters of the written component would depend on
the creative component, determined in advance in consultation with the professor, demonstrating
an investment of time and thought comparable to a standard term-paper.
Evaluation Timeline:



Weekly: response paper
Twice a semester: group presentation & discussion; news report
End of semester: project
Grading system:
1. Weekly response papers: 7 points each
2. Group discussion participation: 30 points each
3. News reports: 15 points each
4. Project
Total:
105 points
60 points
30 points
105 points
300 points
A
B
C
D
270-300 points
240-269 points
210-239 points
180-209 points
Other course policies:
1. Please mute and put away all cell-phones during class. During class I recommend that you
take notes by hand. You will learn more and attend to what’s happening on a deeper level,
guaranteed! Students taking notes on a laptop computer are distracting and make professors
uneasy, for obvious reasons. A student attending to other business or entertainment during class
is expressing an insult to the instructor. If I see this happening I will ask the student to leave.
2.
Absences: Please inform me in advance if possible, or afterwards in the case of illness, if
you must miss a class for excusable reasons. These include personal illness, family
emergency, religious observances, or conflicting University-recognized responsibilities. If
you take more than two unexcused absences, you are letting your community down. This is
a university and I am not going to take roll, but if I notice excessive absences I reserve the
right to reduce your grade accordingly.
3.
Late assignments will not be accepted, except in the case of a true emergency, which has
been communicated to me and about which I have given permission before the assignment
deadline.
4.
This course will utilize Bb Learn, the online course management program. Course related
materials, announcements, and correspondence will be posted on Learn and you may be
asked to upload assignments. To access Learn, login to your MyNAU account (my.nau.edu).
Please note: Only a top-level outline of my lectures will be posted on Bb Learn. If you
miss class you will need to get notes from another student or come see me.
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
POLICY STATEMENTS FOR COURSE SYLLABI
SAFE ENVIRONMENT POLICY
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dean’s office or from the NAU’s Affirmative Action website nau.edu/diversity/.
If you have questions or concerns about this policy, it is important that you contact the departmental chair,
dean’s office, the Office of Student Life (928-523-5181), or NAU’s Office of Affirmative Action (928)
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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
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Based on the Arizona Board of Regents Academic Contact Hour Policy (ABOR Handbook, 2-224), for
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university Academic Integrity Policy. The complete policy is in Appendix G of NAU's Student Handbook.
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SENSITIVE COURSE MATERIALS
University education aims to expand student understanding and awareness. Thus, it necessarily involves
engagement with a wide range of information, ideas, and creative representations. In the course of college
studies, students can expect to encounter—and critically appraise—materials that may differ from and
perhaps challenge familiar understandings, ideas, and beliefs. Students are encouraged to discuss these
matters with faculty.
CLASSROOM DISRUPTION POLICY
Membership in the academic community places a special obligation on all participants to preserve an
atmosphere conducive to a safe and positive learning environment. Part of that obligation implies the
responsibility of each member of the NAU community to maintain an environment in which the behavior
of any individual is not disruptive. Instructors have the authority and the responsibility to manage their
classes in accordance with University regulations. Instructors have the right and obligation to confront
disruptive behavior thereby promoting and enforcing standards of behavior necessary for maintaining an
atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning. Instructors are responsible for establishing,
communicating, and enforcing reasonable expectations and rules of classroom behavior. These expectations
are to be communicated to students in the syllabus and in class discussions and activities at the outset of the
course. Each student is responsible for behaving in a manner that supports a positive learning environment
and that does not interrupt nor disrupt the delivery of education by instructors or receipt of education by
students, within or outside a class. The complete classroom disruption policy is in Appendices of NAU’s
Student Handbook .
Effective Summer 2014
Approved UCC – 1/28/14
Approved UGC – 2/12/14
Emergency Textbook Loan Program: To help students acquire the materials they need to be successful in
class, NAU has partnered with Follett to create the Emergency Textbook Loan program. The program is
administered by the LEADS Center. The program assists students with unmet financial need in obtaining
required textbook(s) and other materials for courses. Students must apply and meet eligibility criteria
before textbooks are purchased on their behalf. Textbooks must be returned at the end of the term in which
the textbooks were loaned. More information can be found online:
http://nau.edu/LEADS-Center/Textbook-Loan-Program/