Native American & Indigenous Studies at PennThe minimum requirement for the Native American and Indigenous Studies minor is the completion of 6 courses (6 c.u.). Courses must be chosen from at least two different departments. NAIS courses must be taken for a grade (not pass/fail). Students must achieve a grade no lower than C in each course. One or more select course substitutions may be available with the permission of the NAIS Advisor.
Please note: Some NAIS courses from earlier lists are no longer available due to faculty retirements. Please check the official Penn course schedule during the registration period for each semester to find the most accurate and up-to-date list of courses offered and descriptions. Also check with the NAIS Advisor regarding possible course substitutions.
NAIS course requirements will be met in three steps (which need not be completed sequentially):
1) All students must take one (or both) of these two “NAIS Core Courses”:
• Anthropology 1490, titled: “Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies”
• Anthropology 2307, titled "Contemporary Native Americans."
2) To complete the required total of six courses, students will also take any five or six of the following “NAIS Related Courses”:
| Anthropology 0020 | Anthropology, Race, and the Making of the Modern World |
| Anthropology 1410 | Public Policy, Museums, and Cultural Heritage |
| Anthropology 1490 | Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies |
| Anthropology 2307 | Contemporary Native Americans |
| Anthropology 2308 | Ethnohistory of the Native Northeast |
| Anthropology 3328 | Performing Culture, Native American Arts |
| Anthropology 3368 | Anthropology of Museums |
| Anthropology 5110 | Ethics, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage |
| Anthropology 5490* | Indigenous Theory and Decolonizing Methodologies |
| (additional new course) | (see NAIS course list) |
| (additional new course) | (see NAIS course list) |
| Art History 2740 | Facing America |
| Education 5232* | Indigenous Education and Language Revitalization |
| Historic Preservation 7470* | Conservation & Management of Archaeological Sites |
| History 1122 | Sinners, Sex & Slaves: Gender in American History |
| Linguistics 2401 | Language in Native America |
*Faculty teaching NAIS graduate level courses in the 600-900 range have indicated that they are willing to consider adding sections for undergraduate students who are pursuing the NAIS Minor. However, students must secure the permission of the individual course instructor before registering for these upper level courses.
3) Students who wish to declare the NAIS Minor should meet with the NAIS Advisor (Dr. Katherine Moore) in Anthropology to complete a minor request form. Dr. Moore also serves as the Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Anthropology on the third floor of the Academic Wing of the Penn Museum. The NAIS Minor can be added to a student's transcript anytime between the first semester of the Sophomore year and the first semester of the Senior year (courses may be applied retroactively at any time within that range).
Depending upon an individual student’s plan of study, the NAIS Minor may be identified as either an SAS Minor or an Interschool Minor, since students may choose to take courses outside of SAS in the school of Education or elsewhere at Penn. Students must meet with the NAIS Coordinator to have the Minor certified before graduating. The NAIS Minor will be posted to the student’s Transcript and to Penn-In-Touch. See also general information on Minors in the College.