NAIS 81.07 Colonialism, Decolonialism, and the University

This seminar will trace a genealogy of the development of the modern American university with a particular emphasis on the relationship between Indigenous and Black students, NAIS and Black studies, and role the university plays in contemporary American life. Readings (and student responses) will track (in Unit 1) the material and economic emergence of the university within systems of enslavement and Indigenous land expropriation through the rise of the modern student movements and the mechanisms of liberal multicultural inclusion designed to foreclose them; (in Unit 2) theories of disciplinary diplomacy and refusal; and (in Unit 3) new decolonial and abolitionist frameworks for reimagining what the university might be.

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Native American and Indigenous Studies