Native American and Indigenous Studies NAIS

NAIS 100 Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies

Units

3

Hours

Lecture 3 hours

Transfers to

CSU, UC

Course Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of Native American and Indigenous studies through Native epistemologies and place-based learning. Students learn the diversity of traditional Native Americans across Turtle Island (i.e., the continent of North America), with a focus on tribes in California and San Diego. Topics include the history of settler colonialism, genocide, manifest destiny, displacement, reservations, and forced assimilation and are framed within the contexts of decolonization and self-determination. Students engage with the complex legal and political experiences of Native communities, such as the formation of treaties, tribal governance systems, sovereignty, and international law. Students also examine the revitalization, renaissance, and resurgence of Native American agency, identity, cultural practices, communities, and environmental movements.

Not on the Fall 2026 schedule.