Undergraduate Certificate in Native American and Indigenous Studies (WEST)

Coordinator: Dr. Janice M. Gould, ACAD 408
Email: jgould@uccs.edu
Ph: (719) 255-5147

The Women’s and Ethnic Studies program (WEST) has a strong emphasis in diversity and social justice issues, highlighting race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, disability and environmental justice. An area that we are developing within the program is Native American and Indigenous Studies, which investigates not only American Indian issues but also the concept of Indigenous knowledge worldwide, with special emphasis on Indian Nations within the United States, First Nations in Canada, and Pacific Islanders.

Completion of a certificate in Native American and Indigenous Studies can be beneficial for enhancing future career options and interests. It is marketable to a wide variety of employers and institutions, including specific American Indian tribes and tribal organizations, Native American communities, environmental organizations, libraries, archives, and museums, Government organizations (state and national parks, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Museum of the American Indian), and graduate programs and professional schools (for example, Anthropology, Art History, Museum Studies, Environmental Studies, Education, and Law). Specializing in Native American and Indigenous Studies also provides students with opportunities for networking and mentoring.

General Requirements

To enroll in the certificate program, get the application as a PDF from the WEST website (http://www.uccs.edu/~west/), from the coordinator, or from the WEST office: ACAD 406. Ph: (719) 255-4553. Meet with the coordinator to turn in the completed application as soon as possible after completing the certificate prerequisite.

Independent studies may not be used to earn this certificate.
All courses be WEST courses or cross-listed with WEST courses.
A minimum grade of 2.0 (C) is required for each course applied to the certificate
Courses counted toward this certificate may not count toward other WEST certificates.
In order to complete the certificate program, students are required to submit to the coordinator a transcript and a five-page, typewritten self-reflective statement evaluating her/his perceptions regarding the knowledge gained in the concentration and implications for future scholarly and professional work. The certificate will be mailed to recipients upon completion of a certificate audit by the coordinator, and graduation.

Course Requirements

Complete 12 credit hours, 9 of which must be upper-division (3000+ level), of required WEST courses.

WEST 1010 - Introduction to Social Justice Studies: Leadership, Inclusion, and Engagement or
WEST 2070 - Foundations in Native American Studies
Complete two to three of the following courses (6-9 credit hours).
WEST 3300 - Methodologies in Women’s and Ethnic Studies
WEST 4100 - Native American Perspectives on Museums
WEST 4120 - Indigenous Views on Sustainability: All My Relations
WEST 4280 - Native American Philosophical Thought
One of the following courses may be taken (instead of the third course from the above list) to complete the 12 credit hour requirement.
WEST 3220 - Global Indigenous Issues
WEST 3250 - The Prehistory and History of Native American Cultures of the Southwest
WEST 3420 - North American Indians
WEST 3820 - Native American Languages and Cultures
WEST 4340 - Indigenous Arts of the Americas
WEST 4400 - Indigenous Peoples and Cultures of the Southwest
Additional courses may be offered which can count toward the certificate. These must be approved in advance by the coordinator or WEST program director. See the WEST website for an updated course list.