A revised 15 unit minor returns this fall semester — now, Cal State Long Beach students can qualify for a minor in Native American Cultures while simultaneously taking classes that complement their majors.
This change is a product of new partnerships created among the American Indian Studies department and nineteen CSULB schools, departments and programs, according to AIS director and professor, Craig Stone.
Some of the new partners include: American studies, human development, philosophy, social work and political science.
Stone said that these partnerships are an effort to expose non-American Indian studies majors to the experiences and history of American Indian folks, especially in cases where a student’s major may influence the lives of American Indian communities.
Currently, a 21 unit certificate for American Indian and Indigenous Studies is available for students to pursue. Though AIS used to be offered as a major, alterations to the ethnic studies department resulted in a shift towards a certificate.
According to Stone, the department’s hope is that this minor will produce culturally competent individuals in all job fields and make accessing American Indian histories and experiences easier for students.
“The idea is, people make films about American Indians. People make art about American Indians,” Stone said. “Rather than create a lot of experts…we would like to be able to impact those students who are in those majors, [the majors that] lead to the careers that impact the lives of American Indians.”
Stone said that having culturally competent professionals (professionals who are educated in interdisciplinary studies involving race, culture and the intersection of identity) benefits disenfranchised communities. He said that when post-graduates enter their field with this understanding under their belt, they can better serve the American Indian communities with empathy and appreciation.
The priority to teach American Indian studies courses, Stone said, is one of the products of a lack of genuine American Indian histories being taught through academics, media representation and socialization.
Another change in the department includes a new faculty hire, Theresa Gregor, who specializes in English and literature. She is teaching a cross-listed course titled “AIS 340: American Indian Literature.” Gregor is a culturally competent specialist, according to Stone, who is a member of the Santa Isabella reservation in San Diego and a community activist.
Stone said that this is not the only effort to introduce non-AIS students to the field.
Through the Long Beach College Promise, a partnership consisting of Long Beach Community College, CSULB and the Long Beach Unified School District, AIS faculty teach ethnic studies courses at high schools throughout LBUSD that will then translate into college credit.
Additionally, this semester, AIS professor Larry Smith is teaching a subject specific to American Indian cultures at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach.
Though American Indian studies was formerly a part of an interdisciplinary studies program that students could major in Stone said that the department is not focused on bringing back the major.
Moreover, AIS hopes to further the partnerships they have been developing thus far.
“We did have some students go through and get a degree in American Indian studies…all of our people have been very, very successful. But it’s a way of thinking about education, which is not cookie cutter,” Stone said. “If a bachelor’s degree is something that grows out of this, then that’s okay. But it’s more important that the content is taught, no matter what the form it takes.”