Faculty-led Inquiry into Reflective and Scholarly Teaching (FIRST)

 

Date of this Version

2018

Document Type

Portfolio

Citation

Huettl, Margaret. "ETHN 201: Introduction to Native American Studies--A Benchmark Portfolio" (2018). UNL Faculty Portfolios. 115. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/prtunl/115/

Abstract

This portfolio traces the process of the design, teaching methods, and assessment tools I used in reconfiguring ETHN 201: Introduction to Native American Studies. “Introduction to Native American Studies” (INAS) is an introductory survey course taken either as an elective or as the foundation of a Native Studies minor. The class size is relatively small, capped at twenty-four students. Students who take this course come from a broad cross-section of disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences and beyond, although perhaps the greatest portion comes from the Humanities. The course serves as an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Native American Studies, exploring both the complexity and diversity of Native American experiences. Students learn about both historical and contemporary events and issues from Indigenous perspectives and develop new ways of thinking about and talking about—and with—Native Americans. This portfolio reflects the ongoing intellectual work behind ETHN 201: Introduction to Native American Studies (INAS). My goals for this portfolio are threefold: (1) to focus and refine the learning objectives of a course that serves as both the foundation of the Native American Studies minor and, for the majority of students, their only exposure to Native American issues and experiences; (2) to explore strategies for balancing content deliver (via lecture and readings) and student-driven discussions and analysis, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of teaching strategies and learning assessments more generally; and (3) to reflect on the course’s successes and shortcomings in enabling students to become autonomous researchers and thinkers.

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