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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
NAIS D015.
Course Title (CB02)
Native American Literature
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This course is a study of historical and contemporary literature written by Native Americans. Students will analyze fiction and non-fiction through oral traditions, stories, poetry, plays, and memoirs. The course will also examine the historical, social, and political contexts of Native American literature, with a focus on issues of Native identity, culture, and worldview.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is UC and CSU transferable and meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSU GE, and IGETC. This course belongs on the Intercultural Studies AA degree. The course offers students an insight into the literary traditions of Native Americans and the breadth of contemporary Native American experiences through their writings.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Formerly Statement
(Formerly ICS D046.)

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC2°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC2CSU GE Area C2 - HumanitiesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3BIGETC Area 3B - HumanitiesApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture with or without visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Essay responses

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative projects

Exploration of Internet resources

Assignments

  1. Critical reading of text and supplemental and library resource materials.
  2. Written Assignments
    1. Essay and short answer identification quizzes requiring summarization and interpretation.
    2. Written assessments demonstrating insightful synthesis and integration of assigned readings.
    3. Reporting well-formulated conclusions and summaries of in-class discussions and collaborative work.
    4. Note-taking from primary and secondary American Indian Studies literary source materials.
  3. Oral Assignments: Participation in classroom discussions to examine key concepts, research project topics, assess student's skill in interpreting and debating relevant issues and other timely topics.
  4. Visual Assignments: View videotapes and cultural activities demonstrating comprehension of the "message" and ability to analyze and critique quality of the media viewed.
  5. Participation: Attendance at American Indian community cultural events and classroom participation.
  6. Research Project: Guided research project that assesses a topic central to American Indian tribal and contemporary literature studies.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Reading Activities: Student mastery evaluated through written and oral activities requiring synthesis, analysis and interpretation of key concepts of the course of study.
  2. Writing Activities. Essay quizzes to make clear evaluative statements, organize and synthesize material to support conclusions and measure student ability to compare and evaluate pieces of literature (identify plot, characterizations, setting and other appropriate literary elements for prose, fiction, non-fiction, biographical and historical writings). Written literary assessments, which display synthesis and ability to form evaluative perspectives concerning the literary form and message (portrayal) of American Indians by Indian authors, and evaluation (to determine ability to accurately summarize and synthesize information) of note-taking using primary and secondary source materials for an individual research project to interpret a body of relevant information besides the required and recommended course texts.
  3. Oral Activities: Assessment of individual student contributions to class discussions, based on quality of synthesis, analysis and interpretation of key concepts of the course of study.
  4. Visual Activities: Written assessment, including synthesis and critique in the form of short answer, short essay, or quizzes, of activities viewed.
  5. Participation: Evaluation (based on demonstrated comprehension, summary, and/or critique) of attendance at American Indian community cultural events and classroom participation. Assessment of participation and contributions during classroom discussions and activities, based on quality of synthesis, analysis and interpretation of key concepts of the course of study.
  6. Research project: Research project demonstrates the student growth in synthesize of readings and ability to critically appraise and analyze American Indian literature and evaluate for relevancy of research materials.
  7. Examinations: Comprehensive essay final examination that evaluates students' retention, understanding and ability to evaluate literature.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Acoose, Janice, and Lisa Brooks, et. al. "Reasoning Together: The Native Critics Collective." University of Oklahoma Press: 2008.
Justice, Daniel Heath. "Why Indigenous Literatures Matter." Wilfrid Laurier University Press: 2018.
King, Thomas. "The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative." University of Minnesota Press: 2008.
Teuton, Sean. "Native American Literature: A Very Short Introduction." Oxford University Press: 2018.
Velie, Alan R. and A. Robert Lee, editors. "The Native American Renaissance: Literary Imagination and Achievement (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series.)" University of Oklahoma Press: 2013.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Alexie, Sherman. "Flight: A Novel." Grove Press: 2007.
Carpenter, Cari M. Ph.D. "Seeing Red: Anger, Sentimentality, and American Indians." Ohio State University Press: 2008.
Erdrich, Louise. "Round House: A Novel." Harper Perennial: 2013.
Glancy, Diane. "American Gypsy: Six New Native American Plays." University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma: 2002.
Grassian, Daniel. "Understanding Sherman Alexie (Understanding Contemporary American Literature.)" University of South Carolina Press: 2005.
Harjo, Joy. "Crazy Brave: A Memoir." W. W. Norton & Company: 2013.
Howe, Leanne. "Miko Kings." Aunt Lute Books: 2008.
Orange, Tommy. "There There: A Novel." Knopf: 2018.
Teuton, Sean Kicummah. "Red Land, Red Power: Grounding Knowledge in the American Indian Novel." Duke University Press: 2008.
Velie, Alan R. Jennifer McClinton-Temple. "Encyclopedia of American Indian Literature." Facts on File: 2007.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Engage in a critical analysis of the nature of arts and the humanities (Western perspective) and Intercultural Studies (non-Western Perspective) of the literary works of Native Americans.
  • Examine and assess oral traditions and literature authored by Native Americans to develop an historical and aesthetic understanding of traditional and contemporary Native Americans literature.
  • Evaluate Native American literary works for structure, style, theme, inter-relationships, and the portrayal of the "Native American experience."
  • Examine American Indian authors' portrayals of Native Americans and tribal value systems.
  • Formulate abilities in critical thinking skills to develop independent and critical perspectives with special attention to whether Native American literature is a "genre" of contemporary literature or literature that only happens to be written by Native Americans.

CSLOs

  • Demonstrate their abilities to analyze Native American traditional and contemporary forms of literature within social, historical, and tribal cultural contexts.

  • Compare and contrast the literature of Native American cultural traditions, including American Indian adaptation and accommodation to Euro-centric literature forms.

  • Think critically about the effects of race/ethnicity, racialization, ethnocentrism, and colonialism on Native American lived experiences, struggles for religious freedom, and resistance and accommodation as they pertain to the impact on historic and current concepts of identity and sovereignty expressed in Native American literature.

  • Research local organizations that support the goals of Native American communities, and engage in community activities.

Outline

  1. Engage in a critical analysis of the nature of arts and the humanities (Western perspective) and Intercultural Studies (non-Western Perspective) of the literary works of Native Americans.
    1. Engage in the critical analysis of the nature of arts and humanities (Western perspective)
      1. as medium through which human experience and values are expressed and viewed.
      2. as discipline reflects interests, perspectives, and gender and cultural biases of reader.
      3. examining the use of Western and Native American primary sources: problems with translations and impact of the translation process to the meanings of Native literature.
    2. Western and Intercultural study of literary works of Native Americans
      1. development of the Western perspective
      2. development of Intercultural studies (non-Western) perspective
      3. major intercultural approaches to the study of Native Americans
    3. Native American centered study of literary works of American Indians
      1. emic versus etic views of Native American tribal cultures
      2. diachronic and synchronic views of Native American tribal cultures
      3. "Native American perspectives" of native literature
      4. development of Native American Studies as an academic field of study
  2. Examine and assess oral traditions and literature authored by Native Americans to develop an historical and aesthetic understanding of traditional and contemporary Native Americans literature.
    1. Native American oral traditions
    2. types: sacred or secular
    3. value and power
    4. functions to teach values and religious concepts
    5. role and relevancy today as an effective means of communication and continuity as an Native American educational tool to teach values and behaviors
  3. Evaluate Native American literary works for structure, style, theme, inter-relationships, and the portrayal of the "Native American experience."
    1. Compare and contrast Western literary forms with those of Native Americans
      1. Western literary structural analysis: literal and symbolic textual interpretations
      2. Native Americansl literary forms
    2. Native American authored contemporary literature: novels, biographies, poetry, and essays
      1. conclusions expressed by Native American literature
      2. Native American literary themes and topics, including Native identity, cultural and personal loss, and survival
  4. Examine American Indian authors' portrayals of Native Americans and tribal value systems.
    1. Post-contact with global cultures and the effects of contact, colonization, and attempts at assimilation on Native identity and communities
    2. Characterizations that effectively portray Native American and those that portray negative stereotypes of Native Americans
    3. Expressions of political inequalities
    4. Statements about social problems encountered by Native Americans, including effects of colonization on contemporary identity, social norms, gender roles, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and spirituality
  5. Formulate abilities in critical thinking skills to develop independent and critical perspectives with special attention to whether Native American literature is a "genre" of contemporary literature or literature that only happens to be written by Native Americans.
    1. Use inductive and deductive reasoning to interpret and analyze visual, aural, aesthetic, intellectual, and factual information in the study of Native American literary works
    2. Synthesize information and make connections between the areas of study and key concepts of literary study
    3. Demonstrate knowledge and ability to assess the value systems of Native American cultures to make a judgment regarding the existence or non-existence of a "genre" of Native American literature.
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