Course Syllabus

Summer 2026 | HIS-1220-VO01 - Native American Histories & Cultures

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Jill Mudgett
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Kate Hughes

General Education Requirements

Humanistic Perspectives

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This is an interdisciplinary course exploring indigenous cultures of North America. Students consider the pre-Columbian world, history of contacts between Indians and settlers, and contemporary issues, including legal sovereignty, land claims, resource policy, poverty, and cultural autonomy.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the habitation of the North American continent and trace the development of different cultures, language groups and adaptive strategies based on archaeological evidence and the post-contact historic record.
2. Identify the location and characteristics of major Native American culture areas as they existed prior to European contact and discuss the subsequent history of each.
3. Compare and contrast key elements of the cultures studied, including subsistence patterns, family and kinship, social and political organization, belief systems, gender, expressive culture and responses to colonialism.
4. Analyze the effects and implications of European colonization, treaties and government policy on Native American cultures.
5. Apply anthropological concepts such as culture, ethnicity, acculturation, cultural imperialism, revitalization, holism and cultural relativity to the study of Native Americans.
6. Explore indigenous contributions to North American culture.
7. Describe modern constructions of native identities, including pan-Indianism, and how those constructions are expressed.
8. Describe contemporary economic, social, and environmental challenges facing Native American groups, including maintenance of sovereignty, struggle for recognition, and improvement of health and community services.
9. Explain the role of ethnocentrism, personal and cultural bias and popular mythology in the analysis of cultures and in shaping perceptions of others.
10. Analyze the theses, context, values, perspectives, and facts in primary and secondary sources.
11. Engage in and evaluate historical research using information literacy skills.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Prohibited: The use of generative AI is not allowed in this course, with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

* online discussion forums

* writing assignments

Evaluation Criteria

Weekly Assignments and Participation: 70%

Mid-term essays: 15%

Final essay: 15%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.