AIS 377 A: Contemporary American Indian Literature

Contemporary American Indian Literature

AIS 377 / ENGL 359, M W 12:30 - 2:20 PM, Winter Quarter 2025

Benson Hall BNS 117

Course Description

In this course, we will cover 20^th and 21^st century American Indian literatures in a wide range of genres and media. Through our investigation of these texts, we will also cover the Indigenous histories, knowledges, and traditions in which they are situated and with which they engage. Alongside our reading of Indigenous creative works, we will think with tribally specific intellectual genealogies, trans-Indigenous connections, and interdisciplinary formations of Native Literary Studies and Critical Indigenous Studies. We will consider several different reading practices for engaging with American Indian and Indigenous literatures and what these texts offer for strengthening Indigenous community and sovereignty; critiquing settler colonialism, white supremacy, and other forms of US empire; and engaging with the question of “how to be a good relative.”

Instead of approaching texts in a strict chronological order or by individual author(s), this course is loosely organized around 3 regions of Indian Country—Chumash/Esselen/California Indian lands, Lakota/Dakota/Nakota lands, and Indian Territory/Choctaw/Cherokee lands. Although we will focus on literatures from these Indigenous contexts, our investigations will also consider the intertribal, global, and trans-Indigenous contexts in which these literatures are necessarily situated.

Characteristics of Class Meeting

This course is designed primarily for an in-person, classroom learning environment. However, some class discussion, assignments, and other coursework may take place on Canvas, often asynchronously or self-paced.

Required Texts & Readings

1. Whereas (2017), Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota)
2. Miko Kings (2007), LeAnne Howe (Choctaw Nation)
3. Bad Indians (2013), Deborah A. Miranda (Chumash/Esselen)
4. Cherokee Earth Dwellers (2023), Christopher Teuton (Cherokee Nation)

You can purchase the above texts directly from the publisher; from online book sellers, such as Amazon or AbeBooks; or from your local bookstore. You can find all other required readings in the weekly modules. They are all accessible via PDFs or through online access links provided by the publisher.

You are responsible for bringing texts to class on the day they will be discussed.

Many of the texts that we will be reading represent and engage with chattel slavery, settler colonialism, and other systems of violence and oppression. These representations can be disturbing and challenging, and I ask that you assess these texts for yourself and determine what level of engagement is safe for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need help assessing these texts.

Learning Outcomes & Course Goals

• Examine Indigenous literatures through a wide range of genres and expressive forms.
• Consider tribally specific, comparative, hemispheric, and other critical orientations towards Indigenous cultural productions.
• Explore a variety of the critical traditions, genealogies, and interdisciplinary formations that comprise Native literary studies.
• Read Indigenous literatures as critique by considering how narrative strategies, themes, and aesthetics engage with ongoing histories of settler colonialism, land dispossession, resource extraction, and gendered violence against Indigenous people.
• Expand critical thinking and writing through analyzing primary and secondary texts related to Indigenous histories, knowledges, and contexts.

Grading

• Class Participation: 150 points
• Discussion Leader/Handout: 150 points
• Groundwork Papers: 360 points (90 points each)
• Final Paper: 340 points

Total: 1000 points

Any questions regarding a grade should be discussed only during office hours.

Assignments (see also assignment-specific rubrics for requirements, expectations, and guidelines)

Class Participation (150 points)

We learn best when we learn from each other. That means we all have a role in creating a learning community in which we all thrive. Therefore, you will be given points for being in community with each other, which can include coming prepared to participate in class discussion; actively and respectfully listening to others; and contributing to the success of your classmates.

There are many ways you can participate in and build our learning community. You can earn points from participating in-person, such as in class-wide discussions; in smaller groups; or in one-on-one conversations with me or your peers. Although you can participate in a variety of different ways and venues (online and in-person), it is expected that most of your participation take place in class.

Leading Discussion (150 points)

Because we’re engaging the course texts as a community, everyone will lead discussion once during the quarter. Leading discussion, you will have the opportunity to explore passages that interest you with the class and to receive collaborative feedback on readings that you might develop further in your Groundwork Papers or your Final Paper. However, you will not be responsible for facilitating classroom discussion, standing up in front of class and presenting, or otherwise running the classroom as you lead discussion. I'll be facilitating the discussion that follows. You'll be invited to introduce your one-page handout and provide any framing comments that may help guide discussion, but you won't be responsible for fielding questions or moderating any comments that follow. 

Discussion leaders are required to prepare a one-page handout containing the following:

1. 2 or 3 critical questions that will guide our discussion.
2. Passages from assigned reading(s) relevant to your critical questions and which can focus our discussion.
3. Your own interpretations, readings, and/or critiques of the passages you have selected and which respond to your critical questions.
4. Connections to other texts we have covered in the course.

Please submit your one-page handout to Canvas no later than 9:00 PM the day before you’re scheduled to lead discussion. This allows me time to incorporate your questions and ideas into the plan for the following day’s class.

Groundwork Papers (2 double-spaced pages each; 90 points each, 360 points total)

You will submit 4 short papers that will help you build the “groundwork” for your Final Paper, for Leading Discussion, and for priming discussions in class. These papers will give you space to explore moments in course texts and class discussions that you find interesting, provocative, and/or problematic. Although you’re encouraged to develop your own ideas and draw on your own opinions, these papers should still contain some core features also found in the Final Essay: they need to have a clear topic and focus, and to develop close reading(s) of specific passages/moments in one or more assigned texts. That being said, they do not need to strictly follow the conventions of a formal academic essay, such as a highly developed introduction and conclusion, polished transitions from one idea to the next, etc. 

In other words, Groundwork Papers are more than personal reflection; they are spaces to practice close reading and literary analysis, while also serving as spaces of creativity and intellectual curiosity.

The assignment rubric is supposed to give you some initial feedback on your Groundwork Papers, but you are encouraged to request additional and more detailed feedback—either in the form of written comments or verbally during office hours.

Final Essay (Sunday, March 16, by 11:59 PM; 5 double-spaced pages, excluding Works Cited page; 350 points)

Your Final Essay should emerge from one or more Groundwork Papers, from Leading Discussion, and/or from discussions started in class. From this initial work, you will develop a longer, formal academic essay. This essay will make a thesis-driven argument based on several close readings of texts we cover in this course. You will receive a separate prompt for this assignment, and we will go over its requirements in more detail in class.

Through the process of developing your Final Essay, you will demonstrate the extent to which you have met our Course Goals and Learning Outcomes. As such, this course does not have a Final Exam.

Extra Credit

UW and Seattle are constantly hosting events, exhibits, and readings that may enrich our engagement with course materials. On occasion, I will share opportunities to participate in these events and earn extra credit. You will be able to earn extra credit by attending events and submitting a critical reflection.

Office Hours

My office hours will be held in-person on Mondays from 3:00-4:00 PM and online via Zoom on Thursdays from 3:00–4:00 PM . I encourage you to sign up for a 20-minute appointment slot beforehand to minimize wait time. See the Zoom and Office Hours Sign Up module for link to the sign up page.

If you can't make either of those office hours, please email me to schedule an appointment for a time when we're both available.

Turning-in Assignments and Late Policy

Instead of specific deadlines, your Groundwork Papers are due within an one-week window of time. This allows you flexibility to turn in these assignments around your own schedule. Because Leading Discussion is time-sensitive and day-specific, your one-page handouts are due 9:00 PM the night before you're scheduled to present. And because peer review of the first draft of your Final Essay involves working with your peers, you must turn in your first draft and peer review by a particular deadline.

After the one-week window or a deadline has passed, I will not be accepting late assignments.

While the above is course policy, please contact me ahead of time if you anticipate that you won’t meet an assignment deadline.

Academic Integrity

The University takes academic integrity very seriously. You are ultimately accountable for the work that you submit for this course. For this reason, it’s important to take care in properly citing work that you quote, paraphrase, or otherwise summarize in assignments. Academic integrity also extends to representing work that you have not substantially done yourself as your own. Here, I’m talking primarily about the use of AI-based tools like ChatGPT. While these tools can certainly be helpful if used critically, they can also call into question the academic integrity of submitted work if they are used poorly. We will discuss academic integrity in more detail in class and set expectations as a learning community.

In any case, if you’re uncertain about if something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.

Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by (include information for specific campus office).

Accommodation & Learning Access Equity

Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.

If, for whatever reason, you cannot meet an assignment due date or need more time, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can work out an alternative timeline that meets your needs. You do not need to disclose any information or explain why you need accommodation. No questions asked—just be sure to let me know as soon as you need help.

Religious Accommodation

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Safety

Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.

Title IX statement on sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination. 

The UW, through numerous policies, prohibits sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination and expects students, faculty, and staff to act professionally and respectfully in all work, learning, and research environments.

For support, resources, and reporting options related to sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination, refer to the UW Title IX’s website, specifically the Know Your Rights & Resources guide. Should you wish to make the Office of the Office of the Title IX Coordinator aware of a Title IX concern, visit the Make a Title IX Report webpage. 

Please know that if you choose to disclose information to me about sex- or gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination, I will connect you (or the person who experienced the conduct) with resources and individuals who can best provide support and options. You can also access additional resources directly:

• You can request anonymous support, from SafeCampus 
• You can request confidential support, from a confidential advocate.
• If you know you want to submit a formal complaint, contact the Civil Rights Investigation Office.

Please note that some senior leaders and other specified employees have been identified as Officials Required to Report. If an Official Required to Report learns of possible sex- or gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination they are required to contact the Office of the Title IX Coordinator and report all the details they have in order to ensure that the person who experienced harm is offered support and reporting options.