The Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program reaffirms "Indigenous Peoples" as the Original Peoples of the land. NAIS centers its course work on the indigenous experiences of Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, and First Nations Peoples.
In the NAIS program, we build on the worldviews of Indigenous communities and Indigenous philosophies. Additionally, our curriculum is grounded in historic and contemporary U.S. policies that shape and impact tribal sovereignty, governance, and the ability to self-govern. Thirdly, we emphasize both verbal and written skills of communication to foster an engaging classroom learning environment.
The foundational knowledge and methodologies in the NAIS program gives students the skills to engage with and seek future careers in tribal, state, and national levels of government and governance, in the professional fields of education, law, and heritage preservation, as well as multitude of careers that benefit and are unique to Indigenous communities.