UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Tacoma Course Descriptions
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AIS 102 Introduction to American Indian Studies (5) SSc, DIV
Introduction to American Indian and Indigenous Studies, a field of research grounded in the study of American Indian and indigenous peoples with the goal of fostering individual and community wellness, political self-determination, cultural revitalization, and cross-cultural understanding. Presents foundational terms, concepts, and ideas for study in AIS major and minor. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 102
AIS 103 The Indigenous Pacific Northwest (5) SSc, DIV
Introduction to the cultures and governing structures of indigenous peoples of American Indian and First Nations tribal communities in the North coastal British Columbia and Pacific Northwest region as self-determining political actors in a contemporary multicultural and global region. Offered: jointly with JSIS 100; W.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 103
AIS 110 Musical Traditions of Native North America (5) A&H
Utilizes historical and contemporary sources to survey the music and music-related traditions of Native North America. Examines traditional music and context from the Northwest Coast, Arctic, Southwest, Great Basin, Plains, Plateau, California, and Eastern Woodlands music-style areas, as well as contemporary neo-traditional and popular genres of American Indian music.
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AIS 170 American Indian Art and Aesthetics (5) A&H, DIV
Introduces the aesthetic universe of Indigenous peoples of North America, peoples who are currently known as American Indian, Alaskan Native and Canadian First Nations. Explores multiple examples of North American Indigenous thought, expression, stories, dance, art, film, and music.
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AIS 201 Introduction to American Indian Histories (5) SSc, DIV
Survey of histories of Indians in the United States from Native perspectives. Presents traditional creation accounts and oral histories, archaeological, and historical evidence. Focus is cultural dynamics, considering change and continuity through prehistoric, protohistoric, colonial, and American periods.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 201
AIS 202 Introduction to American Indian Contemporary and Social Issues (5) SSc, DIV
Introduction to American Indian/Alaska Natives contemporary and social issues. Topics will include identification, demographics, government relations, treaty and water rights, Indian gaming, and treaty law.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 202
AIS 203 Introduction to American Indian and Indigenous Literature (5) A&H, DIV
Introduction to Indigenous creative writing, including novels, short stories, poetry, autobiography, and plays. Explores the artistic, intellectual, political, and cultural contexts out of which the creative work of American Indian and Indigenous writers evolves and is interpreted.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 203
AIS 209 The Unsettling of the Red Continent: American Indian History to 1815 (5) SSc, DIV
Course examines the histories of indigenous peoples of North America through the War of 1812. Topics include the peopling of the Americas; early encounters and exchanges; and strategies American Indians used to confront expanding European, American, and indigenous powers. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 209.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 209
AIS 210 Inconvenient Indians and the "American Problem": American Indian History since 1815 (5) SSc, DIV
As part of a two-quarter survey of American Indian history, this course examines the histories of indigenous peoples of North American from the nineteenth century to today. Students will explore a range of topics, including settler colonialism, indigenous power, American Indian - US relations, and Native governance and activism. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 210.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 210
AIS 212 Indigenous Leaders and Activists (5) SSc, DIV
By focusing on historic indigenous leaders and activists globally, students will examine issues of power, sovereignty, identity, and the role of the individual in shaping history. Additionally, students will examine contemporary, global issues that indigenous communities face and collaboratively contribute to a wiki of indigenous leaders and activist movements. Offered: jointly with HSTCMP 212.
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AIS 230 Contemporary Indian Gaming and Casinos (5) SSc
Overview of the contemporary $18.5 billion Indian tribal gaming industry (with a focus on the Pacific Northwest), which is heavily regulated, is an economic engine for non-Indian communities, and funds economic, social, and cultural revitalization of Indian reservations, yet often generates intense political discussions.
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AIS 240 Native North American Women (5) SSc, DIV
Indian women in the social structure; historical and contemporary roles; changes in male-female relationships; problems and opportunities of contemporary women; the feminist movement and Indian rights.
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AIS 253 Wood Design (5, max. 15) A&H
Studio course in wood sculpture utilizing Pacific Northwest Indian hand tools. Properties of woods and their uses.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 253
AIS 270 Native Peoples of the Northwest Coast (5) SSc, DIV
Examines indigenous societies on the Pacific Northwest's western slope, from southeast Alaska to California, including social structures and relations, subsistence strategies, belief systems, and changes over time, both before and after non-Natives' arrival. Offered: jointly with JSIS A 270.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 270
AIS 271 Native Peoples of the Intermountain West (5) SSc
Examines societies of the Columbia and Fraser River Plateau and Great Basin, including social structures and relations, subsistence strategies, belief systems, and changes over time, both before and after non-Natives' arrival.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 271
AIS 272 Native Peoples of the Southeast (5) SSc
Examines indigenous societies of North America's southeastern sector, including social structures and relations, subsistence strategies, belief systems, and changes over time, both before and after non-Natives' arrival.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 272
AIS 275 Introductory Topics in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (1-5, max. 15) SSc
Covers introductory topics on current research and readings in American Indian and indigenous studies.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 275
AIS 305 American Indian and Indigenous Storytelling (5) A&H, DIV
Explores American Indian and Indigenous storytelling and oral traditional knowledge, with particular emphasis on the Coast Salish tribal groups of western Washington where the University of Washington is situated. Through hearing, reading, interpreting, memorizing, and sharing traditional stories, myths, and legends, students learn how stories impart concepts, values, morals, science, history, beliefs, and philosophies.
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AIS 306 Contemporary Indigenous Environmental Issues (5) SSc, DIV
Indigenous peoples possess a special relationship to their local environments and their homelands including the plants, animals, and other-than-human kin that can be found there, that are unique and specific to particular places and times. Examines relationships as relevant to Native nations today, particularly around issues of Indigenous knowledges, treaty rights, management and governance, direct action movements, and climate change.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 306
AIS 307 Indigenous Literature and the Environment (5) A&H, DIV
Engages with a variety of authors and literary forms, as well as critical perspectives including ecocriticism and Indigenous Environmental Studies. Examines how Indigenous ways of knowing the environment remain relevant and impactful today.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 307
AIS 308 American Indians and the Environment (5) SSc, DIV
Examines the historical relationships American Indians have possessed with local environments, with special attention to the ways these peoples have adapted to altered environments and new conditions, including migrations, involvement with markets of exchange, overhunting, dispossession, conservation, and mainstream environmentalism. Offered: jointly with ENVIR 308/HSTAA 308.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 308
AIS 309 Methods in American Indian Linguistics (5) A&H/SSc
Survey of native North American languages; introduction to systems of transcription; focus on reading of texts and analysis of grammatical structure in two languages; introduction to the use of microcomputers in the description and analysis of Native American texts. Prerequisite: either AIS 313, AIS 314, or AIS 315.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 309
AIS 310 A Linguistic Approach to Culture: Southern Lushootseed Seasonal Calendar (5) A&H/SSc, DIV
Analytical study of a language, with special focus on Southern Lushootseed of the Coast Salish. Emphasis on practical application with time devoted to sound transcription practice. Builds an understanding and appreciation of cultural calendars and historical ways of life, related to the cultural relations of the year, seasons, months, and days. Recommended: either AIS 313, AIS 314, or AIS 315.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 310
AIS 311 The Indigenous History and Environment of the Salish Sea (5) SSc, DIV
Uncovers the indigenous history and environment of the Salish Sea. Examines the "Salish Sea" concept and uncovers the history of the Salish Sea, from an indigenous perspective. Topics include pre-encounter indigenous settlement; early encounters; and contestations over resources, waters, and lands; contemporary issues. Taught at the Friday Harbor Labs. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 311; Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 311
AIS 313 American Indian Language-Salish (5)
General historical overview of the Southern Lushootseed language and the geographical areas. Review of the sound system and the basic structure. Students acquire the ability to read, speak, and write the language through phrases of communication. Grammatical inclusion primarily focuses on roots and prefixes with discussions expanding the concepts of thought and understanding. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 313
AIS 314 American Indian Language-Salish (5)
Overview of the Southern Lushootseed sounds, introductions, greetings, and departures. Studies the structure and grammar of Southern Lushootseed. Students acquire the ability to read, speak, and write the language through phrases of communication. Grammatical instruction primarily focuses on roots, prefixes, and suffixes with discussions expanding the concepts of cultural thought and understanding. Offered: W.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 314
AIS 315 American Indian Language-Salish (5)
Students study the structure and grammar of Southern Lushootseed and acquire the ability to read, speak, and write the language through phrases of communication and stories. Grammatical instruction focuses on roots, prefixes, and suffixes with discussions expanding the concepts of cultural thought and understanding. Prerequisite: AIS 314. Offered: Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 315
AIS 317 North American Indians: The Southwest (5) SSc
Overview of history and ethnography of the Southwest with emphasis on Apacheans, Pueblos, and Pimans/Yumans. Social organization, religion, worldview, and expressive culture of such specific groups as Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Tewa, and Tohono O'odham.
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AIS 321 Powwow Cultures in Native North America (5) A&H/SSc, DIV
Introduction to powwow cultures in Native North America. Covers historic and contemporary powwow practices by engaging in a variety of participatory and hands-on activities, ranging from interactions with powwow musicians, dancers, organizers, and community members, via guest lectures and participation in the annual UW First Nations Powwow, to analyses of print and audiovisual media, including social media. Offered: jointly with MUSIC 321; Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 321
AIS 330 United States-Indian Relations (5) SSc, DIV
History of relations between American Indians and non-Indians in the United States with emphasis on national laws and policies. Examines origins and impacts of Indians' and non-Indians' strategies for dealing with each other, historical reasons for Indians' contemporary conditions and status.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 330
AIS 331 American Indian History I to 1840 (5) SSc, DIV
History of indigenous peoples and their descendants in the area that now constitutes the United States, from the eve of European discovery of the Americas to 1840. Emphasis on relations between indigenous peoples and immigrants. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 331.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 331
AIS 332 American Indian History II Since 1840 (5) SSc, DIV
History of American Indians in the United States from 1840 to the present. Emphasis on relations between Indians and non-Indians, government policies, and Indian strategies of survival. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 332.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 332
AIS 335 American Indians and the Law (5) SSc, DIV
History of laws governing American Indians: aboriginal law systems, U. S. laws, and contemporary tribal laws. Effects of laws and legal institutions on contemporary Indian identity and tribal status, self-government, land ownership and use, natural resources, religion, family life, cultural and spiritual practices, crimes and punishment, and federal responsibilities for Indians.
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AIS 340 Indian Children and Families (5) SSc, DIV
Cross-cultural survey of Indian child rearing, family structure, and related social issues. Includes historical changes in family structure, value orientation and adaptation to a bicultural environment, education, child welfare, health problems, and aging.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 340
AIS 341 Native Women in the Americas (5) SSc
Historiography, sociology, biography, autobiography, and fiction about native women in the United States and Canada. Offered: jointly with GWSS 341.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 341
AIS 350 Two-Dimensional Art of the Northwest Coast Indians (5, max. 15) A&H
Studio course emphasizes principles of structure and style of two-dimensional art which can be found on many old, traditional Northwest Coast pieces, such as painted storage boxes and chests, house panels, and ceremonial screens. Students apply these principles in creating a variety of graphic projects.
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AIS 360 American Indians in Cinema (5) A&H/SSc, DIV
Studies representations of American Indians in American films from 1900 to present. Examines the foundations of American Indian stereotypes and how Hollywood helped create and perpetuate those stereotypes. Activities include reading critical materials, and viewing, discussing, and writing critically about films by non-Native directors.
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AIS 365 Native Nation Governance (5) SSc, DIV
Current issues important to Native nations today, using films and interactive case studies. Students research topics including: stereotypes, sovereignty, economy, citizenship, art, and politics. Provides an understanding of settler colonialism, seeks to understand challenges facing Native nations and look for creative solutions to those challenges.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 365
AIS 370 Researching Indians' History (5) SSc
Finding and interpreting sources of information about American Indians' history. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 315.
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AIS 375 Special Topics in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (1-5, max. 15) SSc
Covers special topics in American Indian and indigenous studies.
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AIS 376 First Nations Literature (5) A&H
Literature written by First Nations Canadian authors as a form of cultural resistance and a re-seizing of identity.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 376
AIS 377 Contemporary American Indian Literature (5) A&H, DIV
Creative writings (novels, short stories, poems) of contemporary Indian authors; the traditions out of which these works evolved. Differences between Indian writers and writers of the dominant European/American mainstream. Offered: jointly with ENGL 359.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 377
AIS 378 Contemporary American Indian Literature: A Northwest Focus (5) A&H, DIV
Literature and poetry of the Pacific Northwest (Coast and Plateau) Native peoples. Contemporary literature and discussion of social and cultural issues raised by American Indian writers and writing.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 378
AIS 379 Powwow: Tradition and Innovation (5) A&H/SSc, DIV
Explores the historical and cultural roots of powwow. Discusses the ways this indigenous Native art form has adapted since prehistoric times.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 379
AIS 380 Indigenous Food Sovereignty (5) SSc, DIV
Food sovereignty within an Indigenous framework of decolonization and cultural revitalization. Demonstrates its potential to strengthen tribal autonomy, health, and wellness in Indigenous communities. How colonialism undermined Indigenous relationships to homelands, plants, and animals that sustained and nourished communities, leading to health disparities and inability to access traditional, nutritious foods. Offered: Sp.
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AIS 385 Indigenous Ecologies and Climate Change (5) SSc, DIV
Diverse ways in which Indigenous peoples around the world understand, experience, and are responding to contemporary global climate change. Topics include: the politics of traditional ecological knowledge, Indigenous environmental justice movements, community-scale climate "adaptation" practice, as each is related to Indigenous health and wellbeing, cultural continuance, and political sovereignty.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 385
AIS 425 Indians in Western Washington History (5) SSc, DIV
Relations of Indians and non-Indians in the Puget Sound region, from the 1790s to the present, with emphasis on evolving ideas about Indian identity. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 417.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 425
AIS 431 History of American Indian Education (5) SSc, DIV
Traditional and European-introduced methods of schooling, the federal role in Indian education, and contemporary Indian education issues. Special attention to Indian concepts of learning; boarding school education; the role of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; current trends in bilingual and bicultural education for Indians. Course overlaps with: T EDUC 474.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 431
AIS 435 Spiritual Encounters: Native Spirituality in the Contact Era (5) SSc
Explores North American indigenous interaction with, resistance to, and syncretization with Christianity, the European colonizers' religious system. Focuses on Native revitalization movements and new forms of religious expression such as the Indian Shaker Church and the Peyote Road, as well as the legal, social, and cultural issues of Native freedom of religion.
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AIS 440 Reading Native American Women's Lives (5) SSc, DIV
Seminar based on social science writings, autobiographies, biographies, and fiction written by, with, or about indigenous women of the United States and Canada. Offered: jointly with GWSS 440.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 440
AIS 441 Gender in Native American Societies (5) SSc, DIV
Examines gender roles, identity, and relations in Native American pre- and post-contact societies. Analyzes how contact with European gender customs influenced and altered traditional gender practices, especially in regard to women's social position and the roles of the third/fourth genders in Native American communities.
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AIS 443 Indigenous Films, Sovereign Visions (5) SSc/A&H, DIV
Explores fiction, documentary, experimental film, and digital media by indigenous artists from around the world. Focuses on personal, political, and cultural expression. Issues include media and sovereignty movements, political economy, language revitalization, the politics of decolonization, and indigenous aesthetics. Offered: jointly with COM 443.
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AIS 446 American Indian Economic History (5) SSc
Surveys and analyzes the history of American Indians' economic challenges and strategies. Topics include the economic cultures of indigenous North American societies, the impacts of European colonization and U.S. government policies, and tribal strategies aimed at improving Indians' economic circumstances. Offered: jointly with HSTAA 446.
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AIS 451 Critical Conversations in American Indian Studies (5, max. 10)
Critical issues in American Indian studies. Topics vary.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 451
AIS 452 Indigenous Geographies (5) SSc, DIV
Views indigenous geographies through multiple lenses, disciplinary positions, community orientations, and historical relationships. Students think critically about colonization, anticolonialism, and the community-based research that constitutes the field, through class discussion, geographical place-based projects, and in-class writing assignments.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 452
AIS 461 First Nations Government and Politics in Canada (5) SSc, DIV
Focuses on First Nations government and politics in Canada. Examines development of First Nations political governing structures with an introduction to the values, perspectives, concepts, and principles in Native political cultures. Explores federal Indian policy in context of First Nations strategies to become self-governing. Offered: jointly with JSIS A 426.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 461
AIS 465 First Nations Filmmaking in Canada (5) A&H
Examines First Nations video production in Canada; how film is utilized as a medium for addressing issues significant to First Nations. First Nations filmmakers "decolonize" the screen by providing real and positive images of First Nations people that correspond to their cultural and social experiences. Offered: jointly with JSIS A 422.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 465
AIS 466 Producing the Documentary Short (5) A&H
Explores documentary theory, methods, and aesthetics. From humanities, social science, and indigenous studies perspectives, students critique a self-produced documentary, looking at methodology, perspective, and ethics. Students also explore pre-production, production, and post-production documentary techniques.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 466
AIS 475 Research Topics in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (1-5, max. 15) SSc
Covers current research in American Indian and indigenous studies content areas.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 475
AIS 476 Indigenous Research Methods (5)
Multi-disciplinary literature and philosophical applied frameworks of Indigenous research methods. Provides basic tools and methods for conducting applied research in Indigenous communities. Considers existing practical, ethical, and political issues when engaging in research with Indigenous communities. Seeks to make research a strategy for decolonization and resurgence. Prerequisite: AIS 102 or AIS 103/JSIS 100; either AIS 170, AIS 202, AIS 203, HSTAA 209/AIS 209, or HSTAA 210/AIS 210; and any 300- or 400-level AIS course.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 476
AIS 480 Indigenous Resistance and Resurgence Movements in the United States, Canada, and Mexico (5) SSc, DIV
Examines Indigenous resistance and resurgence movements in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Explores political and social contexts, political mobilization, cultural resurgence, and decolonizing struggles.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 480
AIS 492 Indigenous Sovereignties (5) SSc, DIV
Indigenous challenges of ongoing European settlement across the globe, focusing on both the global legacies of colonialism and the continued socio-political movements of Indigenous populations. Investigates what colonialism looks like today and how Indigenous peoples are challenging its authority. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of 2.0 in either AIS 102, AIS 103/JSIS 100, AIS 170, AIS 202, AIS 203, HSTAA 209/AIS 209, or HSTAA 210/AIS 210. Offered: Sp.
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AIS 497 Internship (1-5, max. 10)
Internship and academic project. Faculty sponsor and internship supervisor are required . Offered: AWSpS.
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AIS 499 Independent Study (1-5, max. 15) A&H/SSc
Readings and/or research under faculty supervision.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 499
AIS 501 Documentary Film/Video Research Methods in Native Communities (5)
Seminar exploring theoretical, methodological, and aesthetic issues when researching documentary film and video projects in Native American communities. Utilizes readings, screening, discussions, and a major research project to explore issues of documentary representation, ethics, and historiography. First part of a two-quarter documentary production sequence. Offered: jointly with GWSS 510.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 501
AIS 503 Documentary Theory, Form, and Practice (5)
Explores documentary theory and practice, utilizing readings and documentary filmmaking exercises. Students create short documentary sequences while investigating traditional and more experimental ideas about the non-fiction form; theories of representation, subject ethics, documentary authenticity, the intersection of fiction and non-fiction forms, documentary and performance, documentary and historiography.
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AIS 552 Indigenous Geographies (5)
Views indigenous geographies through multiple lenses, disciplinary positions, community orientations, and historical relationships. Students think critically about colonization, anticolonialism, and the community-based research that constitutes the field, through class discussion, geographical place-based projects, and in-class writing assignments.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 552
AIS 575 Critical Theories in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (5)
Historical and current theoretical propositions related to Indigeneity. Major theories in American Indian, Alaska Native, and indigenous studies, primarily in Canada and the United States, with some inclusion of Indigenous Australian and New Zealand theories. Skills and opportunities for theoretical promiscuity, used in Indigenous communities and academia. Offered: W.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 575
AIS 576 Indigenous Methodology (5)
Creating a collaborative and collective space for students to explore the potential of various Indigenous approaches to research. Oriented around critical feedback from the instructor and fellow classmates. Students are expected to actively engage in class readings, discussions, and commitments.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 576
AIS 590 Special Topics (1-5, max. 15)
Offered by visitors or resident faculty as a one-time, in-depth study of special interest.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 590
AIS 592 Indigenous Sovereignties (5)
Indigenous challenges of ongoing European settlement across the globe, focusing on both the global legacies of colonialism and the continued socio-political movements of Indigenous populations. What colonialism looks like today and how Indigenous peoples are challenging its authority. Recommended: either coursework or research in Indigenous Studies. Offered: Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 592
AIS 605 Capstone (3)
Research and presentation at UW Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies' annual symposium, under guidance of faculty mentor from the Department of American Indian Studies. Emphasizes engagement with the field of American Indian and Indigenous Studies. Prerequisite: AIS 575 and AIS 576. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: AIS 605
