MAS505

Traditional Indian Medicine, or TIM, is a concept that refers to Indigenous knowledges expressed through the varied healing systems in Indigenous communities. This course will pay particular attention to American Indian nations and healing knowledges that are intersecting and intertwined relationships with the natural world, the Indigenous body and the sacred. We will examine both how Indigenous healing systems have persisted as well as responded to social conditions, such as genocide, colonization and historical, as well as contemporary, forms of oppression. Topics include intergenerational trauma as well as how resilience is expressed in practices of wellbeing, healing and self-determination. We will also explore TIM as containing systems of healing that may/may not operate in conjunction with allopathic medicine. This course takes a transdisciplinary approach, incorporating readings from American Indian/Indigenous studies and health to explore a complex portfolio of American Indian/Indigenous wellbeing.

While undergraduates will have a midterm and a final paper and poster project, graduate students will conduct a minimum 15 page research paper and Power Point presentation on their research. They will complete all the readings, plus additional books and short reflections on d2l and have several additional lectures (either as an additional in-person discussion, on d2l chat or through Skype) to delve into more theoretical articles.

CE - CL (Cross Listed), GIDP - AIS (American Indian Studies)