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Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in American Indian Studies
Major: 8126
Effective Term: 2024 Fall   
Award Type: AA

CIP Code: 05.0202
 Program Availability: CG   EM   GC   MC   PC   PV   SC   SM  
Instructional Council: American Indian Studies
Total Credits: 60-64
GPA: 2.00
SOC Code: Upon completion of an associate`s degree, students may pursue a career as:
43-1011.00 First-line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
45-4011.00 Forest and Conservation Workers
39-1013.00 First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
43-4081.00 Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
27-3091.00 Interpreters and Translators
23-2099.00 Legal Support Workers, All Other
31-1131.00 Nursing Assistants
43-9199.00 Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
21-1092.00 Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
39-9032.00 Recreation Workers
21-1093.00 Social and Human Service Assistants
25-9049.00 Teaching Assistants, All Other

Upon completion of a bachelor`s degree, students may pursue a career as:
13-1041.03 Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers
17-3026.00 Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
23-2099.00 Legal Support Workers, All Other
25-2022.00 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
29-2099.08 Patient Representatives
25-2031.00 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Upon completion of a graduate degree, students may pursue a career as:
19-3091.00 Anthropologists and Archeologists
25-1062.00 Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
25-4012.00 Curators
19-3093.00 Historians
25-1193.00 Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
25-1067.00 Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary


Description: The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in American Indian Studies provides a multi-disciplinary academic approach to studying Indigenous Peoples, their cultures, struggles, and maintaining sovereignty and self-determination. This degree empowers students to effectively work in urban and rural environments, and government agencies, and help Native Nations. Coursework focuses on historic relations with non-Indian societies, the development of federal Indian law, tribal governments, treaty rights, environmental issues, public policy, economic development, cultural preservation, and contemporary social issues. This degree provides students with the foundational coursework needed to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in the field.

Program Learning Outcomes
1. Analyze tribal, federal, state, and municipal governmental policy and legal interactions related to inherent sovereignty. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [HU], [FYC], [MA], [SB], [SG], [SQ])
2. Collaborate effectively to identify and examine issues at the tribal, state, and national levels that affect the holistic well-being of Indigenous Peoples. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, BPC110, CIS105, (COM), (CRE), [HU], [FYC], [SB])
3. Examine the Indigenous concept of interconnectedness with respect to the Sacred, which is holistically and organically inclusive of culture, homeland, worldview, identity, nature, and sustainability. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, BPC110, CIS105, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [MA], [SB], [SG], [SQ])
4. Analyze the various ways in which Indigenous Peoples identify and organize themselves in relation to pre- and post-colonial contact. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [MA], [SB], [SG], [SQ])
5. Analyze the impacts of sovereign powers at the tribal, state, and federal levels in relation to the international governmental forum. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [HU], [FYC], [MA], [SB], [SG], [SQ])
6. Examine the laws, codes, and statutes at the tribal, federal, and state levels. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [MA], [SB])
7. Examine the impact of political diversity and historic, socio-economic, contemporary, and cultural contexts on Indigenous Peoples and their respective cultures. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
8. Perform academic research and writing in accordance with ethical standards and scholarly practices. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, BPC110, CIS105, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB], [SG], [SQ])
9. Effectively communicate orally, visually, digitally, and in writing in a manner that demonstrates cross-cultural empathy, self-awareness, open mindedness, and responsiveness. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB], [SG], [SQ])
10. Illustrate the ways in which the influences of past and current social and political institutions promote inequalities, privileges, stereotypes, mistrust, and biases that continue to extrinsically shape the identity of Indigenous Peoples. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
11. Value Indigenous knowledge as it relates to multi-generational cultural education, including elderhood, oral traditions, and aesthetics. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
12. Examine the endangerment of Indigenous language extinction and the acceleration of Indigenous culture loss as well as the efforts to revitalize and restore them. (AIS/SOC105, AIS/SOC160, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
13. Apply relevant knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to seek career opportunities in the field. (FYE101, FYE103)
Required Courses
AIS/SOC105 Introduction to American Indian Studies 3
AIS/SOC160 American Indian Law 3

FYE101 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success (1) OR
FYE103 Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success (3) 1-3
 Credits: 7-9

+ indicates course has prerequisites and/or corequisites.
++ indicates that any suffixed course may be selected.
MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: June 28, 2022

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.