Professor William Bauer Email: wbauer@unlv.edu. I respond to e-mail messages within 24 hours.
Course Description
This course is an ethnohistorical study of those Native peoples inhabiting the North American Plains region of the U.S. from ancient history to the present.
Course Objectives
1. This course asks students to demonstrate the necessary skills for proficiency in accessing, evaluating, and integrating information and understanding the basic principles, theoretical models and research methods of American Indian Studies.
2. This course asks students to critically analyze modes of writing in public, popular, and academic texts and recognize how contexts for the production of intellectual inquiry and ideas play a critical role in shaping their presentation.
3. This course asks students to identify and analyze the significance human beings attach to their differences and politics of identity and be able to describe and analyze the effects of prejudice, exclusion, subordination, and ideologies of racial superiority upon all human groups; recognize how cultures illuminate both enduring human concerns and changes in the human condition, and understand and appreciate the diversity of cultures that exist in local, national and international contexts; and understand the human development, cultural frameworks, and societies of people in the United States.
Required Reading List
This is a list of the required reading for this course. The books are available at the university bookstore and online bookstores (Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com).
- Loretta Fowler, A Columbia Guide to Plains Indian History.
- Albert Hurtado, Major Problems in American Indian History, 3rd edition.
- Sarah Carter, Aboriginal People and the Colonizers of Western Canada.
Course Policies and Procedures
For each week, you will need to do the following:
Click on the module that corresponds with the weekly discussion material. For instance, the first module is entitled “Course Introduction and Methodologies.” You need to read the short introduction to each module, a list of the module’s goals and a list of the required reading.
After familiarizing yourself with the module’s objectives, begin the required reading. Some of the assigned readings are accessible within the module.
After reading the required texts, participate in two threaded discussions that pertain to the weekly reading. Each week, I will post two questions that correspond to the weekly readings. One question will be general and the other specific to the readings. Students need to complete weekly discussions by Friday at Noon of the week.
In addition to participating in the class discussions, contribute to the “Contemporary Events Discussion.” You need to find a current news story about American Indians. You need to post the weblink to the news story (so other people, including myself, can read the story), summarize the article and provide an analysis of what the story means to Plains Indians. You should also engage with your fellow students, and respond to two other postings by your classmates. Students need to complete contemporary events discussion by Friday at Noon of the week. Note: I will not permit postings on the various mascot controversies. After years of teaching classes like this and discussing the issue, I have both tired of the discussion and come to a conclusion: American Indians SHOULD NOT be mascots. So, find different kind of story.
There are four weekly quizzes (Modules 2, 3, 4 & 5), which are intended to ensure that you keep up with the reading. You are required to answer several identification questions that come from the bolded terms in Loretta Fowler, A Columbia Guide to Plains Indian History. Students need to complete the quiz by Friday at Noon of the week. A sample question is below
ID Term: Santa Ysabel Reservation
Who/What: A reservation in California that voted in favor of the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) by a vote of 71-43 but only nine people actually voted.
Where: California
When: 1930's
Significance: Demonstrates the confusing nature in which voting on IRA occurred. In this case, some people who did not vote at all were counted as casting a vote in favor of IRA.
Grading Policy
Class Discussion
For each module, students are required to participate in the threaded discussion that pertains to the required reading. Students will be graded on both the quality and quantity of the answers. Thus, you will be graded on both what you write and how many times you post. A quality answer consists of a clear answer to the question and evidence to support your argument FROM THE READING. You need to provide original examples from the readings. If a student provides examples that another student already used, I will delete their posts and ask the student to create a new one. I admit that this is a subjective part of the grading system and I will strive to communicate with you regarding your discussion grade. Do not wait until Friday to participate. If you do not demonstrate a consistent engagement with the class, your grade will suffer. Class Discussion is worth 10 points per week (5 points per question).
Contemporary Events Discussion
You are required to contribute to a threaded discussion regarding contemporary events in Indian Country. You will be graded here on the quality of your posting (in terms of the item you select as well as your analysis of the event) as well on how well you interact with your classmates. In addition to your own post, you need to respond to AT LEAST two other stories each week. I will not allow redundant stories, and will erase a posting that I DEEM REPETITIVE. Do not wait until Friday to participate. If you do not demonstrate a consistent engagement with the class, your grade will suffer. The postings are worth 5 points per week.
Quizzes
There will be four quizzes, which are intended to ensure that you keep up with the reading. The quizzes need to be completed by Friday at Noon of the week. The questions will be identification questions that ask you to provide the who/what, when, where, and historical significance of the proposed term. The questions will ONLY be taken from the bolded terms in Loretta Fowler’s A Columbia Guide to Plains Indian History.
Exam
This class includes a final exam, which will consist of ONE essay question. This exam is considered a take home exam, which places the burden on the student to fully demonstrate an understanding of the course materials and a clear response to the question. In other words, you must provide citations from the readings to support your answers. You must be prepared to use as many of the course readings as possible in your answer to provide a thorough response. You must complete the exam within the assigned time parameters or suffer a grade penalty. The only exception is if you have a university excused absence. You are required to answer one of the following questions.
Question #1: What was the outcome of the encounter between Plains Indians and Euroamericans – cultural collisions or a middle ground (see Carter p. 33-34)? Using the readings from Modules Two and Three (Deep History and Encounters), choose ONE (no more than one) of the following areas of analysis to determine whether the encounter produced a collision or accommodation: social relations, economy, politics, and culture. Yes – I know one can make the argument that it is both, but do not. Choose one – collision or middle ground. Think carefully about the arguments you have read and make a case for the outcome that makes the most sense to you.
Question #2: Between 1776 and 1890, how did United States colonialism (see Miller's definition) affect Plains Indians? How did Plains Indians adapt to and resist colonialism? Using readings from Modules 4 and 5 (American Expansion and Reservation Life), choose ONE (no more than one) of the following themes to prove your argument: social, political, economic or cultural changes. For example, a student might want to explore how United States colonialism affected Plains Indian politics and how Plains Indians used politics to adapt to and resist colonialism.
Question #3: Between 1880 and 2010, how and why did Plains Indians renew and revive their politics, economies, societies and cultures? Using readings from modules 5 and 6 (Reservation Life and Self-Determination), choose ONE (no more than one) of the following themes – social relations, politics, economics or cultural changes – and answer the following questions: What were the origins of social, political, economic OR cultural renewal/revival? What are some examples of social, political, economic OR cultural renewal/revival on the Plains?
Assignment Value
Class Discussion (10 points each week) 60 points
Contemporary Events Discussion (5 points each) 30 points
Quizzes 50 points
Final Exam 30 points
Grade Scale
Grade Point Value
A 135-150 D: 90-104
B 120-134 F: Below 89
C 105-119
Important Course Policies
Lateness Policy: It is imperative that you keep up with this course's rigorous workload. Assignments are due on Fridays. Students who do not complete the assignments in a timely manner will either receive a 0 or a severe deduction of their grade. The University of Wyoming defines an excused absence from class as “For participation in a University-sponsored activity or for unusual circumstances, such as a personal hardship, an authorized absence may be issued to the student by the Director of Student Life or the Director's authorized representative. If a student has been hospitalized, or if the student has been directed by the Student Health Service or the student's private physician to stay at the student's place of residence because of illness, the Health Service medical staff or the student's private physician may issue a statement to the student giving the dates of the student's confinement.” This is outlined in Unireg 713. These are the only terms under which I will grant an extension on the class discussion or exams. For class discussion, students must have an excuse for the ENTIRE WEEK, not one day. After all, the beauty of online classes is that students can do the work at any time and at any place there is Internet access.
Academic Dishonesty: The University of Wyoming defines academic dishonesty as “An act is academically dishonest when it is an act attempted or performed which misrepresents one's involvement in an academic task in any way, or permits another student to misrepresent the latter's involvement in an academic task by assisting in the misrepresentation.” The University has clearly defined procedures for academic dishonesty and if a student is found to violate University Regulation 802, the instructor will enforce the University Regulation to its fullest extent. For further information, see Unireg 802.
Course Schedule
Items Marked with * are located in the module
Week #1: Course Introduction and Methodologies – all assignments are due May 29 at noon.
Hurtado, Major Problems:
* Devon Mihesuah, “Countering Colonization, ” 2-13.
* R. David Edmunds, “Practicing Inclusion,” 13-21.
Sarah Carter, Aboriginal People and Colonizers of Western Canada, 3-14.
Susan Miller, “Native America Writes Back: The Origin of the Indigenous Paradigm in Historiography,” Wicazo Sa Review 23 (Fall 2008): 9-28.*
Tom Holm, Ben Chavis, and J. Diane Pearson, “Peoplehood: A Model for American Indian Sovereignty,” Wicazo Sa Review 18 (Spring 2003): 7-24.* Emma Lowman and Adam Barker, “Indigenizing Approaches to Research,” Sociological Imagination, October 28, 2010.
Week #2: The Deep History of Plains Indians – all assignments are due June 5 at noon.
Loretta Fowler, Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains, 3-16.
Sarah Carter, Aboriginal People and Colonizers of Western Canada, 14-30.
Vine Deloria, Jr., “Low Bridge – Everybody Cross.”*
Hurtado, Major Problems:
* Neal Salisbury, “The Indians’ Old World: A Continental View,” 42-49.
* Cody Newton, “The Interior: Mobility Before European Contact,” 85-94.
* “The Arikara Tell of Their Creation,” 27-28.
Selections from Ella Clark, Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies.*
Week #3: Encounters with Europeans: Trade Relations – all assignments are due June 12 at noon.
Loretta Fowler, Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains, 17-43.
Sarah Carter, Aboriginal People and Colonizers of Western Canada, 31-61.
Hurtado, Major Problems:
* Bruce Trigger, “The Shores: Native Responses to Early European Contact,” 75-85.
* Pekka Hamalainen, “A Western Nation’s Rise and Decline: Comanche Economy on the Southern Plains,” 251-68.
* “Cabeza de Vaca Recounts His Experiences with the Indians of Mexico, 1536,” 65-67.
* “Casanas Assesses the Native Peoples of Texas, 1691,” 101-102.
* “A Spanish Soldier Describes the Comanche Destruction of the San Saba Mission in Texas, 1758,” 244-245.
* “A Spanish Official Assesses the Comanche,” 245.
Week #4: American Expansion: Trade and Treaties – all assignments are due June 19 at noon.
Loretta Fowler, Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains, 44-84.
Sarah Carter, Aboriginal People and Colonizers of Western Canada, 62-100.
Hurtado, Major Problems:
* Donna Akers, “An Eastern Nation’s Removal: Choctaws Leave the Homeland,” 269-80.
* Waziyatawin, “Grandmother to Granddaughter: Remembering the Minnesota War of 1862,” 299-305.
* “Chief Sharitarish (Pawnee) Voices Concern for His People, 1822,” 245-46.
* “Indian Commissioner Thomas L. McKenney Explains Removal, 1828,” 248.
* “Elias Boudinot (Cherokee) Opposes Removal, 1828,” 248-49.
* “George Harkins (Choctaw) Laments His People’s Forced Exile, 1832,” 249-51.
* “Black Hawk (Oglala) Asserts Lakota Land Claims on the Plains, 1851,” 295.
* “Wabasha (Dakota) explains How Nefarious Trading Practices Caused the 1862 Minnesota War, 1868,” 295-97.
* “President Abraham Lincoln Orders the Execution of 39 Dakotas Involved in the Minnesota War, 1862,” 297-99.
* “George Manypenny, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Discusses United States Conflict with the Lakota, 1876,” 323-24.
* “Lakotas Describe the Wounded Knee Massacre, 1891,” 330-31.
Week #5: Reservation Life, 1880s-1933 – all assignments are due June 26 at noon.
Loretta Fowler, Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains, 85-114.
Sarah Carter, Aboriginal People and Colonizers of Western Canada, 101-75.
Hurtado, Major Problems:
* Brenda Child, “Ojibwe Children and Boarding Schools,” 376-87.
* “Mountain Wolf Woman (Ho-Chunk) Describes Women’s Work and Labor in Wisconsin, c. 1890,” 324-28.
* “Henry Dawes Supports the Allotment of the Cherokee Nation, 1885,” 363-64.
* “Cherokee Delegates Defend Their Land and Institutions, 1895,” 364-67.
* “Dorothy Peche (Shoshone) Recalls Attending a Government Boarding School, c. 1917,” 371-74.
Week #6: The Self-Determination Era – all assignments are due July 3 at noon.
Loretta Fowler, Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains, 115-37.
Hurtado, Major Problems:
* Peter Iverson, “Building Toward Self-Determination: Plains and Southwestern Indians in the Mid-Twentieth Century,” 464-71.
* Daniel Cobb, “Talking the Language of the Larger World: Politics in Cold War America,” 514-24.
* “Ben Reifel (Brule Lakota) Praises the Legacy of John Collier,” 414-46.
* “Ella Deloria (Yankton Dakota) on Indian Experiences During World War II, 1944,” 449-53.
* “Ruth Muskrat Bronson (Cherokee) Criticizes the Proposed Termination of Federal Trusteeship, 1955,” 454-57.
* “John Wooden Legs (Northern Cheyenne) Outlines the Fight to Save the Land, 1960,” 457-59.
* “Clyde Warrior (Ponca) Delineates Five Types of Indians, 1965,” 487-89.
* “President Richard Nixon Advocates Self-Determination for Native Nations, 1970,” 492-95.
* “James Riding In Presents a Pawnee Perspective on Repatriation,” 530-32.
* “Elouise Cobell (Blackfeet) Describes the History of Land Litigation, 2008,” 534-35.
* “Steve Russell (Cherokee) Argues for a Hemispheric Indigenous Identity, 2010,” 535-37.
Watch We Shall Remain: Wounded Knee.
Final Exam Due July 3
