WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2012-2013       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
From Red Power to Casinos: (Mis)Understandings of American Indian Capitalism
AMST 305
Spring 2013
Section: 01  

This course investigates the economic activities of American Indians and Native Nations and how these are tied to expressions of political power. This course will primarily focus on contemporary activities, but will begin by critically interrogating the historical economic impacts of American Indian nations and their citizens. It will consider the strategies and relationships that were necessarily formed with, and as a reaction to, the settler colonial society as well as how economic manipulations are used to exert political power. Next, we will read case studies and ethnographic works to understand how contemporary Native Nation economies and economic development projects operate "on the ground." This will include examining a wide array of case studies from small business ownership to casinos. Finally, this class will critically investigate the relationship between stereotypes, economic identities, and economic successes--including what constitutes a "successful" economy.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1) identify the forces of federal policy and U.S. settler colonialism that continue to impact Native Nations economies; 2) understand the historic and current roles and impacts of Native Nations economies, especially in regards to the expressions of sovereignty; 3) critique the implications of economic identities and stereotypes.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS AMST
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on DEC-21-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459