Native Studies Department

Return to: Colleges/Schools, Departments & Programs

Edward Valandra, Chair
East Hall, Room 301
(605) 677-5209 
Edward.Valandra@usd.edu
nativestudies@usd.edu 
http://www.usd.edu/nativestudies

FACULTY:

Associate Professor:

 Edward Valandra, American Studies, Native Studies, and Oceti Sakowin Studies

Assistant Professor:

 Elizabeth A. Castle, Native American Women, Contemporary Native American Issues, Oral History
 Armik Mirzayan, Lakota Linguistics, Indigenous Languages, Applied Linguistic Methodologies
 

Instructor:

 Jerome Kills Small, Lakota Language and Culture

MAJOR: Native Studies, B.A.
DOUBLE MAJOR: Native Studies
MINOR: Native Studies

Native Studies offers a program of study grounding students in the fundamentals of the discipline as well as preparing them for the challenges that are unique to Native Peoples and Native Country, including the nation-to-nation relationship that exists between Native Peoples and modern states and non-state actors. The program is flexible enough for students to explore questions of major interest, to allow opportunities for meaningful undergraduate research, and to engage questions unique to Native Country through special topics courses and a senior thesis. The program also includes a specialization in either Oceti Sakowin Oyate Studies (People of the Seven Council Fires, or more commonly known as the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota people) or Lakota language.

The Native Studies department recognizes that students may be fluent speakers of the Dakota/ Lakota/Nakota language and possess a proficient knowledge of the culture. A challenge test may be taken for LAKL 101. Students must enroll for the LAKL 101 course, however. The test will be administered and scored at the beginning of the semester the student is enrolled. If a student earns the minimum required score on the challenge test, s/he will receive credit for the LAKL 101 course and will not be required to attend class. A student will only be allowed to take the challenge test once.

LAKL 245 Lakota Language Table is a co-requisite for both the introductory and intermediate Lakota language courses.
 

Return to: Colleges/Schools, Departments & Programs