Diné College offers new Native American Studies Minor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2021
TSAILE, Ariz. — Diné College is offering a new Native American Studies (NAS) minor beginning this fall, 2021-2022 academic year. This is the first minor program that the college will offer.
Dr. Christine Ami, Diné College Associate Professor said the Native American Studies Minor at Diné College seeks to broaden, connect and dialogue the variety of Navajo realities experienced by our students with that of tribal nations and Indigenous communities throughout the Americas and the globe.
“Not only will this minor help us as a Native Nation to understand how other Indigenous communities have continued to exude self-determination in the 21st century in spite of termination and assimilation projects, but it will also allow for our students to broaden their understanding of their own disciplines as it applies to Native peoples. This means that students will evaluate the manners in which their disciplines have failed to include Native peoples but will also provide pathways for how Native American Studies approaches may enrich their academic studies. This minor is about evoking Native self-determination,” said Ami
The Native American Studies minor will focus on contemporary Indigenous communities, critical analysis of colonialisms, and re-imaging of Native self-determination. This minor draws from interdisciplinary perspectives and complements all Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs at the college.
Key topics for this program includes Indigenous worldviews, Indigenous Human/Non-human Animal relationships, Indigenous governance, colonization and International Colonization, holistic wellbeing, Native Sciences, Traditional Ecological Knowledges, and Indigenous Arts and Literatures.
The NAS minor core requirements consists of 12 credits, NAS minor elective requirements is 9 credits, and you can select up to 2 additional interschool elective options. The total program requirements is 21-24 credits. Contact the Office of Registrar for the most current degree checklist.
Diné College is a four-year tribal college located on the Navajo reservation with six campuses and two microsites across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and primarily serves Navajo students. The school offers 13 bachelor degrees, 20 associate degrees, and 9 certificate programs. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college, established in 1968, is the first tribal college and was formerly named Navajo Community College.
