Native/Indigenous Feminisms are key to understanding settler colonial societies like the United States and Canada. As a field of study, Native/Indigenous Feminisms analytically centers Indigenous sovereignty to understand how settler colonialism evolved to displace Indigenous peoples politically and within their own lands. This course will examine the historical formation and dynamics of settler colonialism to elucidate how it has shaped the lives of all people living within settler societies. Academics at CNAIR
Posoh, Boozhoo, Yá'át'ééh, ᎤᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ,
We are glad you are here. Whether virtual or in person (soon!) we look forward to meeting you. On this page you will find information and links to academic opportunities for graduate students, undergraduate students, and the NAIS Minor.
2025 Course Highlights
Native/Indigenous Feminisms are key to understanding settler colonial societies like the United States and Canada. As a field of study, Native/Indigenous Feminisms analytically centers Indigenous sovereignty to understand how settler colonialism evolved to displace Indigenous peoples politically and within their own lands. This course will examine the historical formation and dynamics of settler colonialism to elucidate how it has shaped the lives of all people living within settler societies. 
The racialization of Indigenous polities in North America has been a key mechanism for undermining Indigenous sovereignty and facilitating settler colonialism. In analytically foregrounding Indigenous sovereignty, this course examines how race has been imposed upon Indigenous peoples and nations so settlers could dispossess them of their lands and their political authority over those lands. Through this course, we will consider how US anthropology contributed to the development of the notion of indigeneity-as-race in North America, the function of Indigenous racialization, and how Indigenous communities have grappled with their racialization throughout time and into the present. Native American and Indigenous Studies
Undergraduate NAIS Minor
The Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) minor is designed for students who are eager to engage with the priorities, histories, lifeways, and artistic or cultural practices related to Native American and Indigenous communities. The curriculum—firmly rooted in Indigenous methodologies, ethics, and theoretical perspectives—is based upon the contributions of key NAIS scholars. This interdisciplinary minor requires the completion of six courses that highlight social and natural worlds, creative expression, and global Indigeneity. Through disciplines such as anthropology, environmental studies, global health studies, history, learning sciences, and literature, the NAIS minor fosters a comprehensive understanding of Indigeneity and its political dynamics.
Foundational topics such as sovereignty, self-determination, and resistance are integral components of the coursework. The NAIS minor's emphasis on Indigenous epistemologies not only sharpens investigative, analytical, and critical skills but also fuels intellectual creativity, preparing students for a diverse range of careers in education, health, law, social work, or public policy, while enriching their insight into the complex issues Indigenous communities encounter.
For any questions, the coordinator of the minor can be reached through the contact information available on the NAIS minor webpage.
The minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) requires courses from across a variety of departments. Courses reflect the four scholarly directions of Creative Expression (art, dance, literature, music, and theater), Social Worlds (anthropology, global health studies, history, journalism, learning sciences, political science, and sociology), Natural Worlds (environmental policy and culture, psychology, and STEM), and Global Indigeneity (African studies, Latinx studies, and Pacific Islands studies).