Indigenous Studies Minor

We embrace a holistic, collaborative and hemispheric approach to Indigenous Studies in which university faculty and students develop and maintain meaningful partnerships with each other and Indigenous community members. Accordingly, we have an advisory board consisting of faculty, staff, and citizens of some of the eleven Nations in the commonwealth. Our program aims to educate students and the community on Indigenous cultures and issues in a respectful way through these partnerships and collaboration. Our students understand that Indigenous peoples are not relegated to the past, they are also a part of the present, and will continue to shape the future.

Indigenous Studies minors gather an understanding of the processes that divergent cultural groups use to build alliances that address common problems including climate change, economic development, sovereignty, food security, language revitalization, and community health. Such inquiries are at the forefront of modern Indigenous Studies because capacity development in a global age depends on inter-community cooperation.

Indigenous Studies minors often pursue careers in engineering, healthcare, teaching, museum curation, social work, and law. Many students find that understanding how to work with Indigenous individuals and Nations enables them to be critical thinkers with complex understandings of how their actions affect all members of society; assets that are useful in their careers.