MAKING A DIFFERENCE: INDIAN EXPERIENCE & THE CURRICULUM

DATES: NOVEMBER 3-6, 2003

1 CREDIT: Soc 203

CATALOG LISTING:  Soc 203: WS: Indian Exper/Curriculum

CRN: 27522

This workshop is designed to address issues related to schooling and education and how to create a culturally sensitive classroom environment for Indian students.  A panel of Indian students will share their perceptions, experiences, and advice on creating a culturally sensitive learning environment.  Workshop participants will address classroom expectations concerning participation and engagement of Indian students, non-Indian students, and teachers in the classroom.  The workshop will conclude with identifying strategies for faculty and non-Indian students to be more sensitive to Indian student concerns and experiences.  While the workshop will focus on application to education, much of the experience can also relate to the workplace.

Requirements:  To get one credit, students must register through the web for SOC 203 by November 1st.  In addition students must:

1: Attend the lecture by Devon Mihusuah, Department of Applied Indigenous Studies, Northern Arizona University. Nov. 3, College of Law Courtroom, 7 p.m., Keynote speaker: Devon Mihesuah, professor of Applied Indigenous Studies and History, Northern Arizona University.  Mihesuah is member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and is a historian. She received her Ph.D. in American History from TCU in 1989, and was professor of American Indian History in NAU's history department for 10 years. She is now professor of Applied Indigenous Studies, and edits the award winning journal American Indian Quarterly (won the Wordcrafters Circle of Native Writers' Award for 2001 Journal Editor of the Year) and edits University of Nebraska Press's book series, "Contemporary Indigenous Issues." Her work focuses on the themes of decolonization and empowerment strategies. Her latest book, co-authored by Angela Cavender Wilson, Indigenizing the Academy: Native Academics Sharpening the Edge, compiles essays from prominent Native writers in numerous academic fields and deals with how to achieve and retain indigenous knowledge, empowerment, and decolonization. Mihesuah has been active in the repatriation issue for over 15 years. 

2: Attend the student workshop session, November 6th, 4:00-6:00 p.m.  
               Whitewater Room, UI Commons

3: Read the following chapter before attending the workshop: “The Tellers, the Tales, and the Audience: Narratives by Students of Color” by Debbie Storrs and Julia Lesage in Making a Difference: University Students of Color Speak Out. This reading is available from Debbie Storrs (Phinney 115).

4: Attend two other workshop sessions.  For workshop descriptions and locations see:

             www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~rfrey/indspeak.htm

5: Submit a folder with the following essays (submit to John Mihelich, Phinney 401, by November 12, 5:00 p.m.)           

          a: A one-page typed single space summary for the two workshop sessions
              attended (there is no summary needed for the student workshop).

          b: A two-page typed single spaced paper in which you compare the stories and
              experiences of panelists to the reading “The Tellers, the Tales, and the
              Audience.”  Specifically, consider how the panelists stories debunk racial fictions
             (be sure to identify which fictions are debunked), whether racial essentialism
             emerges in students’ stories (and consider why), and how you as an audience
             member responded to such stories.  You should also discuss other themes that
             emerge from the panelists stories in your paper.  Your paper should integrate the
             reading through comparison and thoughtful reflection. 

Note: Workshop Locations are provided in the link above after workshop descriptions.