title of program: Native America Studies
name\title of head\director: Eloise Stoker
degrees granted: B.A.
description of program offerings: A multidisciplinary approach, including anthropology, art, biology, history, and literature.
areas of faculty interest\expertise: [Information not provided.]
resources available: Internships at museums; national, state, and city parks.
financial aid available to students: General.
number of students in program: 7
title of program: American Indian Studies
department in which housed: Department of Social Sciences
name\title of head\director: Dr. Benjamin R. Kracht, Coordinator
degrees granted: B.A. major or minor.
description of program offerings: The program offers a multidisciplinary approach to understanding Native American peoples. Courses are offered in anthropology, history, English and languages, political science, criminal justice, and social work; majors and minors also have access to the Cherokee language program.
areas of faculty interest\expertise: Faculty have a broad background in Native American subjects; however, the principle areas of interest\expertise are Southeastern Tribes, particularly the so called Five Civilized Tribes; Plains Indians; and Mesoamerica (incl. fieldwork in Belize).
resources available: Tahlequah is the historic capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The headquarters of the Cherokee Nation are located nearby. The Cherokee National Historical Society and the Cherokee Heritage Center are at Park Hill, about three miles south of Tahlequah. The Special Collections Division of the University Library contains extensive and well-maintained resources about the Five Civilized Tribes with a particular emphasis on the Cherokee Indians. The University supports an active chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and an Amerian Indian scholars honors program. The Northeastern State University Center of Tribal Studies offers non-credit workshops about contemporary Indian issues, and an annual Indian Symposium is presented each spring on campus. The Office of Student Affairs sponsors a Native American Students Association.
financial aid available to students: Contact: Director, Student Financial Services, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah OK 74464, (918) 456-5511 ext. 3456.
number of students in program: c. 20 majors.
title of program: Native American Studies
name\title of head\director: Joe E. Watkins, Director; Barbara Hobson, Assistant Director
degrees granted: B.A. (major and minor); M.A. (see below).
description of program offerings: The Native American Studies major is an interdisciplinary degree offered in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students take a core of courses offered by NAS faculty and select from courses in several departments, including Anthropology, English, History, Music, Fine Arts, Communications, and Geography. Students also have the opportunity to take one of a number of Native languages which the University offers.
areas of faculty interest\expertise: American Indian history; plains Indian and Cherokee ethnography ; contemporary American Indian and Canadian Native literature; contemporary educational, social, political, and cultural issues in Oklahoma Indian tribes; American Indian art history, contemporary Indian artists; relationships between Indigenous nations and anthropology, research ethics, and global Indigenous issues.
resources available: American Indian students can take advantage of the American Indian Student Support Services which provides academic support, counseling, financial aid advisement, and sponsors student activities. There are 11 American Indian student associations on the OU campus. The Oklahoma Museum of Natural History houses an extensive collection of archaeological and ethnographic materials. The Western History Collections contain original manuscripts and published works on the west and American Indians, including works on Indian languages and sound recordings of tribal languages. Within the Western History Collections are the Doris Duke Oral History Project and the Pioneer Papers, which include an oral history of the early history of the state, records of the Cherokee tribal government, and an extensive photo archive. The Carl Albert Center houses papers of a number of political figures who were influential in the formation of American Indian policy.
financial aid available to students: Information is available through OU Financial Aid Services, 731 Elm St., Robertson Hall, Rm. 125, Norman, OK 73019-2111. TEL (405)325-4521; FAX (405) 325-7608; http://www.finaid.ou.edu. Also, the American Indian Student Services office, within the Center for Student Life, provides assistance and referrals for financial aid: Oklahoma Memorial Union, Rm. 370. TEL (405) 325-2312.
number of students in program: 53.
* * * * *
title of program: M.A. in Native American Studies
degree(s) granted: M.A.
description of program offerings: Seminars in History, Anthropology, English, Art Criticism, Art History, and Interdisciplinary Studies.
areas of faculty interest\expertise: Native American poetry, contemporary Native literature, Southeastern Indian writers, Native Drama, women's writing, creative writing, History of Indians in Oklahoma, Socio-linguistics, identity theory, Contemporary American Indian artists, Mesoamerican art, American Indian flute music, stomp dance music, and pow-wow culture in Oklahoma, relationships between Indigenous nations and anthropology, research ethics, and global Indigenous issues.
resources available: (See description for undergraduate program.)
financial aid available to students: Three graduate assistantships; various loans and grants available through the University financial aid office.
number of students in program: 14
title of program: American Indian Studies
name\title of head\director: Joan Payne
degrees granted: Minor
description of program offerings: North American Indian Cultures; Frontier and American Culture; Native American Literature; Managing Diversity in the Workplace; Minority, Ethnic & Regional Psychology of Minorities; Minorities in American Politics; Religions of Native Americans; Exploration in Sociological Issues.
areas of faculty interest\expertise: American Indian anthropology, American Indian literature, American Indian law, American Indian history, contemporary and historical American Indian education, American Indian psychology, American Indian religions.
resources available: Native American Faculty and Staff, OSU (NAFS), Native American Students Association (NASA), American Indians in Science and Engineering (AISES), Native Americans in the Biological Sciences (NABS).
financial aid available to students: Out-of-state tuition waiver for Native American students (must maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher); Native American Faculty and Staff Scholarship(s).
number of students in program: 1,993 Native American students on campus.
title of program: American Indian Studies
name\title of head\director: Dr. Lee Hester, Director
degrees granted: B.A.; B.F.A. in American Indian Fine Arts
description of program offerings: USAO's American Indian Studies program prepares its students for jobs in Federal, State and Tribal Government as well as tribal enterprises and large corporations by stressing the complex legal foundations of tribal sovereignty and the unique government-to-government relations that American Indian Nations have with the United States, as well as specialized courses in such areas as Casino Management. In addition to law and policy, American Indian students are encouraged to gain a thorough grounding in their tribal traditions, history and language both through regular classes and through independent studies with elders and other wisdomkeepers. All students will come away with a more thorough knowledge of American Indian Nations and their role in the modern world.
areas of faculty interest\expertise: American Indian sovereignty, law and policy; American Indian Philosophy; Contemporary American Indian issues; American Indian Languages and oral tradition, particularly Kiowa and Choctaw; American Indians and Environmental Ethics.
resources available: The program offers extension in-service and mid-career training.
financial aid available to students: May be accessed at http://www.usao.edu/~usao-aid/.
number of students in program: 20 majors, 15 minors.