Native American Religions
Course Outline
| Native Studies 2-308 / Religious Studies 347 | TTH 2:30-4:00; | HC 6 | |
| Thom Parkhill | office: EC 315 | office hours: [TBA] | e-mail: parkhill |
September 10, 1996
Overview
Some of the most fundamental questions of any inquiry push us to find similarities and differences.
In this sense at least the Sesame Street characters have it right. We often ask questions like,
"what is it like?" and "how is it different?" Our answers, however, are often much more
complicated than Bert's and Ernie's. This is because the world outside the television program, the
world we experience even second-hand through books or other authorities, is far more complex.
Nonetheless, the questions are basic to finding out about things, including the nature of Native
American religions.
I have noticed that when we students(1) begin the academic study of Native American
religions, we find first an almost overwhelming diversity of activities, worldviews, stories, songs,
architectures, and ways of being in the world. I have also noticed that despite this diversity (or
perhaps because of it) we often want to try to identify the characteristics typical of the various
religious traditions of the indigenous people of what is now called North America. We want to
know the religious characteristics common to all these traditions.
In light of my experience of the interests of students approaching the academic study of Native
American religions, I suggest we focus our semester's inquiry on searching for and investigating
some of the common religious characteristics of Native American religions. This would mean our
overarching questions would be something like:
What are some of the religious characteristics common to Native American religions? Who
says so? What are their reasons?
The second and third questions here lead, it seems to me, to another -- "how are we going to go
about this anyway?"
Method
The short answer is by collaborative inquiry. I'll start with the "inquiry" first.
We are not, of course, the first people to wonder about this or ask these kinds of questions.
Many authorities have views on this matter. In fact, there is a conversation going on among those
people, like us, who study Native American religions -- a conversation focussed on these very
questions. We'll begin by eavesdropping on this conversation. The first three readings I have for
you present one example of this conversation in two voices.
Following this introductory eavesdropping period of about two weeks, I will not be assigning any
further readings. It will be your task to find appropriate readings to further your inquiry. I will be
asking you to find a common characteristic to investigate and to report your findings in a
feasibility study. This will be written for your class colleagues and will be due October 10. In the
following two weeks the whole class will (by means of the feasibility studies) assess the "do-ability" of the various potential common religious characteristics and choose a few to pursue. A
group of between three and five class colleagues will form around each of those few
characteristics to deepen the inquiry. At this point the investigation in each group will probably
move to the religious traditions a few specific Native American nations (for example, Tlinget,
Perce Nez, Anishnabe).
Each of these groups will be responsible for reporting their findings in the form of an extended
"article." These collaboratively written articles will be due on November 19. After the articles
are photocopied, you and your class colleagues will compile your book, write a proper
introduction and conclusion, read the completed book and discuss the text in class.
Because we will be sharing our learnings, working with and learning from each other -- in writing
and in oral discussion -- I called the method of the course "collaborative." One aim of the course
is to encourage each participant to become a class colleague -- to teach and learn from one
another. In other courses like this one students have found they are writing frequently, some of
the time in the computer labs; that their class colleagues are often reading their work; that they
typically have to work in the library; that they work with their class colleagues on projects in
groups of different sizes. To provide a means for you to write and to read each other's writing we
rely on the linked computers on the top floor of Sir James Dunn Hall and in the basement of this
building, as well as on the photocopiers of the University and the Harriet Irving Library.
For almost every class I'll be writing you and your colleagues a letter that I call a "prompt".
The prompts are most often intended to guide you in your inquiry.
For this outline, I have little else to add about the method of course except this cautionary
note: I am convinced that the study of Native American religions must be at least as self-conscious as the study of any of the other religions of the world. By that I mean that we must
always be aware of who we are as we carry out our inquiry. I am also convinced that regardless
of who we are, when we attempt to study Native American religions, our perceptions are often
shaped by a stereotype of the "Indian." Thus, the study of Native American religions requires as
much self-study as it does the study of Lakota or Hopi or Mohawk religions.
Evaluation and Learning
The standard university course requires students to write tests, exams, and essays. This
course does not. Without these requirements, I cannot evaluate your work by standard methods.
Thus, your evaluation will consist of three parts:
Part 1, the minimum or base grade which reflects your attendance and your responses to the
prompts. If you attend consistently and respond to the prompts consistently, you will earn, for a
"base grade", a grade in the "C" range. What's "consistently" mean? For me it means missing no
more than a couple of classes a term (in this course a couple of classes equals missing a week of
class), and responding to all the prompts (see the item on "late assignments and excused
absences" which follows). If you do not attend class consistently and/or do not respond to the
prompts consistently, your base grade will go down. Regardless of how you do in the other two
areas of evaluation, your final mark will not be lower than your base grade. It may, of course, be
higher. You can earn a higher-than-base grade by doing well in the other two areas of
evaluation.(2)
Part 2, a mark, added to this minimum, based on my assessment of the quality of your work as
reflected in the written acknowledgements your colleagues make of your contribution to their
learning;
Part 3, a mark, added to the minimum, based on my assessment of the quality of the
acknowledgements that you write about what you have learned from your class colleagues.
In the past I have asked for these acknowledgements at the end of the term. This year, in
response to student course evaluations, I am trying something different. Once the class gets
rolling (in about three weeks) I will ask you to spend approximately an hour a week filling out an
electronic acknowledgement form. These will be due by each Sunday at 5:00 pm. I will have
more to write about this in the near future.
Learning Group Covenant
While my experience is that I learn most efficiently in groups, I also remember group
experiences that were real disasters. Early in the term the members of NS 2-308 [RS 347] will be
negotiating a learning group covenant of group norms. We will be discussing such issues as rules
for discussion, attendance at in small group meetings held outside of the classroom, and a whole
host of issues around time -- starting on time, ending on time, time for breaks, getting work to the
group on time, and so on. We'll also discuss ways of dealing with colleagues who just don't seem
to want to do any work. I have found that by working through some of these issues early on,
some group-related problems can be averted. I will also encourage any "working groups" which
form to accomplish a long- term task to formulate a learning small-group covenant consisting of
additional clauses that apply only to the work of the working group.
Information and Suggestions
1. Late assignments/excused absences. When someone asks me to be excused from a class or an
assignment, I often feel the request is really for forgiveness. In fact I can forgive most absences
and lapses in responding to prompts; but I cannot excuse them. There are no excuses in NS 2-308 [RS 347]. As you will see, an assignment passed in late is useless to your class colleagues
and thus is as good as not done; and an absence from class is often an absence from your group
whether you have a good reason or not. Late assignments are assignments not done; and an
absence is an absence is an absence. Usually I don't need to know if you are planning to be absent
from a class; usually the group you are working with will. I know, this is hard to understand.
Here's real-world analogy that I hope helps: If your friend needs your hammer and your skills on
Friday to build a new pen for his pet bull moose and if you arrive on Monday, the day after mating
season has begun, it does him no good at all, no matter how good the hammer is or how good
you are at building moose pens. The bull moose is gone and the neighbors are complaining they
can't sleep for the noise, and a small-sized Toyota has turned up with its side all bashed in. You
tell me if you are "excused" or not. It may not seem to you that your contribution is as vital as my
analogy suggests, but my experience is that your group colleagues may well feel it is.
2. Save all the work of the course. We produce lots of writing in this course. Despite the use of
computers, there's a huge amount of paper, which I expect you to save and keep track of at least
until December. The prompts are only a small part of these. I find a three-ring binder and a paper
punch a great way to keep track of all the paper. You will learn ways to keep an electronic copy
of your important electronic mail messages and electronic files. I strongly suggest you keep a
paper or electronic copy of every significant contribution you pass in or write to the shared
directory on the computer network. This means getting a few small diskettes on which to copy
electronic files. Ignore this at your peril!
3. Textbooks and Examinations. There are no textbooks, except the one that results from the
edited compiled articles. This will be ready by the end of the term. Please set aside at least
$20.00 for photocopying (the cost of a "big" debit card in the library). You will find it necessary
to photocopy library material as well as your own and colleagues' work. You may need another
$10.00 for laser printing. (These amounts are estimates). There are no examinations in NS 2-308
[RS 347]. A caution, however: you can plan on spending the time you would have spent
cramming for exams in this course working consistently throughout the term. Figure on about
approximately five hours in addition to class time each week.
4. Many times when you write something in response to a prompt, it will be read by some or all of
your class colleagues. Please keep this simple fact in mind when you are preparing assignments
for this course. If the work is going to be on paper, make sure it is dark enough to photocopy. If
the work takes electronic form (e-mail or a file), make sure you put your name on it. An excellent
piece of work that is unreadable cannot be used. Only you will know how good it is. Your class
colleagues will not, nor will I. If it's unsigned, we can use it, but you cannot be acknowledged for
it.
The Class Begins On Thursday
After reflecting on what you have just read and on this afternoon's class, you may feel you
are not comfortable with the style of learning in NS 2-308 [RS 347]. Or you may feel you are not
ready to take on the kind of commitment to learning that the course requires. No problem, eh?
There are other native studies and religious studies courses you may take; there are other years to
take this course.
Today is an information session; the class begins Thursday afternoon ... I'll take the first attendance then. If you need to drop NS 2-308 [RS 347] before then, that's okay. I know the course will work best with and for people who want to be here.
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Endnotes
1. I use "we" here because I remember my own beginnings in this area, and I still count myself among students of Native American religions.
2. I noted that your base grade is augmented by the two other marks. The exception to this is if you earn an F as a base grade. Missing lots of classes earns you an F; so does not responding to lots of prompts. You cannot pass the course if you earn an F as a base grade; if there are other marks they are not counted.