Introduction to Native American
& Indigenous History
Spring 2024 | MWF 3 (10:40-11:50am) | Old Main 315
Pop Chalee (Taos Pueblo), Forest Scene, circa 1950, Tulsa: Gilcrease Museum.
Instructor Information
Dr. Jennifer Andrella
Historian of the American West, Native American Ethnohistory, and the Civil War & Reconstruction Eras
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Email: jandrella[at]knox.edu
Student Hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12-1:30pm
My office is located on the second floor of Seymour Library, across from the Red Room, next to the staircase for the third-floor offices.
I’m also happy to meet by appointment in-person or over Zoom, just email me to set up a time!
Course Description
This course examines the histories of Native American and Indigenous communities from the pre-colonial era to the end of U.S. treaty making in 1871. Throughout the term, we will thoughtfully engage with Indigenous modes of producing, preserving, and sharing history through a range of textual documents, material culture, oral histories, and other media. We will also explore the deeper historical context of cultural encounters, kinship, resistance, sovereignty, citizenship and belonging, land and resource use, self-determination, survivance, and the imposition of colonial and settler-colonial systems. Students will acquire an understanding of these themes while building foundations on the methods of Ethnohistory and Critical Indigenous Theory.
Meme of the Day
Message Board
- Final blog reflection essay is due Sunday, June 2.
- Course evaluations form is available now; I appreciate your thoughts and feedback! Check your email for the link!
Reading Recommendations! See the Google Doc
- Examine the temporal and spatial contexts of Indigenous history in the Americas, with a primary focus on Native American nations in the United States.
- Learn the ethics and responsibilities involved with understanding primary and secondary sources related to Native American and Indigenous history, and consider how Indigenous knowledge and historical experiences are produced, preserved, and shared.
- Students will examine Native American and Indigenous history through a lens of survivance, an active approach towards survival, resistance, and cultural persistence across time.
- Students will learn the foundational concepts of Native American and Indigenous history, including sovereignty, encounter, structures of colonialism and settler colonialism, the politics of recognition and refusal, self-determination, and the making of Indigenous futures.
Word frequency cloud of the 574 federally recognized Native Nations in the United States. Created using Voyant. Data provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Required Materials
This course requires one book and access to a computer. All other reading materials will be provided for you on the schedule page. For an overview of U.S. history, I recommend The American Yawp, a free and openly collaborative online textbook.
A computer that runs a full version of Mac, Windows, or Linux operating system and has internet access. Please contact the Information Technology Services Helpdesk for assistance with general technology usage problems.
Our Class Community
Fostering a safe, respectful, and accessible learning environment is my top priority. In this class, we will engage in difficult and sensitive topics with care and respect. We will practice thoughtful dialogue, treat each other with dignity, and actively contribute to an inclusive atmosphere where all are welcomed. I am always happy to meet you at your comfort level with the goal of encouraging you to challenge your abilities. I also practice a teaching philosophy that less is more; meaning that the more time we can devote towards a single topic, source, or tool, the more knowledge we will be able gather from it.
I understand that life happens and that personal and family emergencies may take your attention away from the course. Please communicate with me about your needs so that we can make the best accommodations for you. Your wellbeing is most important, and my job is to provide the time, space, and resources you need to be most successful. Please also visit the class resources and goals page for additional resources that Knox College offers to students.