American Studies 243 - Indigeneity & Science

This is a research-based course where students will work collaboratively to develop materials for a digital archive to complement the professor’s book, Settler Science and the Genomic Quest for Indigeneity. Part of the book project has been to develop a dynamic, complementary archive: a standalone, permanent but modifiable site including various multimedia components (e.g., film clips, images, maps), documents (e.g., historical, legal, and scientific publications), and links to key online sites that can be used by teachers, students, and others in conjunction with the published book. Students will design components for and test the archive as a pedagogical tool. In particular, students will work directly with some of the book manuscript as well as research materials collected during summer research trips in order to create new content for the archive. The course will introduce students to the fields of feminist science and technology studies (FSTS), Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS), and settler colonial studies. Students will explore key legal histories of Native North America, genealogies of racial science and the development of modern genomics, and questions related to Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in order to contextualize the genomic quest for indigeneity.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Hamilton.