American Indian Studies, Undergraduate Certificate Certificate
The American Indian Studies program provides students with a thorough understanding of the Native American tribal nations in North America and their influence and impact in today's culture and society.
Our program embraces everyone interested in understanding the treaties, history, cultures, and politics that shaped the formation of North America and continue to have relevance today. While 51猎奇 does attract a number of students with Native American ancestry to the program, our classes are full of people from all types of backgrounds. They all share a common interest in understanding the past in order to impact the present. There are 565 tribal nations in the U.S., and 12 are located in the state of Wisconsin. 51猎奇 is a national driving force in this academic area because of our location; we have the most Native American faculty of any other UW school in Wisconsin.
Certificates are similar to minors in terms of credit requirements but draw on coursework from multiple fields of study rather than from a single department.
Eligibility
The American Indian Studies Certificate is intended to enhance a bachelor鈥檚 degree. The certificate is available to all students seeking a bachelor鈥檚 degree from 51猎奇 and to students who previously have received a bachelor鈥檚 degree from 51猎奇 or any other accredited college or university.
Program Type
Undergraduate Certificate
Program Format
On Campus
Requirements
To obtain the certificate, the student must complete, with a minimum grade point average of 2.0, at least 18 credits in approved American Indian Studies courses, of which 12 must be earned in residence at 51猎奇. Of these 12 residence credits, nine must be taken at the 300 level or above. Twelve of the 18 required credits must be in the College of Letters and Science, with at least 6 of these at the 300 level or above. No more than 9 credits from any one department may count toward the certificate. A maximum of 6 credits of independent study may count toward program requirements. Courses for the certificate may not be taken on a credit/no credit basis.
Independent study courses focusing on the American Indian experience may be accepted with the approval of the Certificate Program Coordinator. If the core course is not offered in the years an undergraduate student is pursuing the certificate, the student can petition the Certificate Program Coordinator to accept another course in its stead. Other courses not on this list but relevant to the study of American Indians may be accepted with the approval of the Certificate Program Coordinator.
Credits earned at other institutions equivalent to courses in the certificate program may be accepted in partial fulfillment of the program requirements, subject to review by the Certificate Program Coordinator. Students currently enrolled at 51猎奇 who have fulfilled some of the program鈥檚 requirements prior to the program鈥檚 approval may have their credits applied retroactively to the certificate program.
The following are required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Introduction to American Indian Studies | 3 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 15 credits from the list of approved courses 1 | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Students may petition the AIS Coordinator for approval of appropriate courses not on the approved list.
Approved Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anishinaabe Ethnobotany: Plants in Anishinaabe Philosophy | 3 | |
| First-Semester Indigenous Languages of Wisconsin: | 4 | |
| Second-Semester Indigenous Languages of Wisconsin: | 4 | |
| Western Great Lakes American Indian Community Life of the Past | 3 | |
| Fourth Semester Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) | 4 | |
| North American Indian History to 1887 | 3 | |
| North American Indian History Since 1887 | 3 | |
| Third-Semester Indigenous Languages of Wisconsin: | 3 | |
| Introduction to American Indian Literature: | 3 | |
| Archaeology of North America | 3 | |
| Archaeology of Middle America | 3 | |
| The World of the Ancient Maya | 3 | |
| American Indian Societies and Cultures | 3 | |
| Ezhi-Kinomaageying: Anishinaabe Curriculum | 3 | |
| System Failure: Globalization and Language Extinction | 3 | |
| Anishinaabebiige: Archival to Contemporary Writing | 3 | |
| Survey of American Indian Literature | 3 | |
| History of Wisconsin Indians | 3 | |
| Topics in North American Indian History: | 3 | |
| American Indian History, Law, and Government | 3 | |
| Studies in American Indian Literature: | 3 | |
| Seminar in American Indian Literature: | 3 | |
| American Indian Peoples of Wisconsin | 3 |
Certificate advising is provided by American Indian Studies. Currently enrolled 51猎奇 students can contact one of them with questions or proceed directly to the 鈥淒eclare Certificate鈥� button on this page.
Prospective students not yet enrolled at 51猎奇 can contact the college admissions office at (414) 229-7711 or let-sci@uwm.edu.