Native Studies Home
Our Mission:
The discipline of Native Studies provides an intellectual framework where teaching and research are well grounded from a Native epistemology. Faculty and students in the Native Studies program at the University of South Dakota not only seek to understand the fundamental nature of Native life, but to also develop more expansive and innovative views regarding Native knowledge.
The department not only promotes sound academic preparation in the classroom, but expects its faculty and students to interact and conduct research for Native governments, Native-based community organizations, and other organizations which serve Native Country. Additionally, the program emphasizes the continued effort of the University to establish respectful partnerships with Native nations at the local, regional, national, and international levels.
Our Goals:
To ensure accountability to both the University and Native Peoples, the Native Studies Department adheres to the following goals:
- To promote Native Studies as an independent field of study.
- To promote academic excellence in both research, publication, and teaching.
- To develop cultural competencies, while simultaneously bridging cultural gaps and challenging racial intolerance and hate-crimes.
- To encourage the development of specific Native Studies paradigms and theoretical frameworks.
- To foster and conduct original scholarly research on Native Peoples' histories and lives, and develop research skills relevant to the needs of Native communities.
- To promote and encourage Native scholars and scholarship.
- To understand and appreciate the nature of Native societies and acknowledge the contribution of those societies to both the national and international communities.
- To work in partnership with other Native Studies programs, including Native colleges and universities.
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Native Studies Acting Department Chair L.E. Bradley, Professor (605) 677-5594 Larry.Bradley@usd.edu |
