This course is an introduction to the history of the Native peoples of North America. Instruction will focus on the idea that indigenous people in North America possess a shared history in terms of being forced to respond to European colonization and the emergence of the modern nation-state. Native peoples, however, possess their own distinct histories and culture. In this sense, their histories are uniquely multi-faceted rather than the experience of a singular racial group. Accordingly, this course will offer a wide-ranging survey of cultural encounters between Native peoples and European and Euro-American empires, taking into account the many different indigenous responses to colonization. This course will also move beyond the usual stories of Indian-white relations that center either on narratives of conquest and assimilation, or stories of cultural persistence. We will take on these issues, but we will also explore the significance of Native peoples to the formation of modern North America. This will necessarily entail an examination of race formation, and a study of the evolution of social structures and categories such as nation, tribe, citizenship, and sovereignty.

Course Requirements:

Essays linked to assigned readings and discussions are the basis for grading and will be asynchronous.

Class Format:

A mini lecture will be posted to be listened to in asynchronous fashion. The synchronous portion of the course will revolve around a discussion of lecture and assigned reading material and will be in small group and whole class formats.This course will use Canvas for all asynchronous online components. Synchronous weekly meetings will be conducted through Zoom. Students should have access to an internet connected computer, a camera and microphone.