Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for ATH 232 Winter 2025


Course Number:
ATH 232
Course Title:
Indigenous Cultures and Communities of U.S. and Canada
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Discusses Indigenous cultures and communities of United States and Canada from an anthropological perspective. Covers the past, languages, and cultural regions of United States and Canada. Considers systems of power and social justice issues related to the historic and contemporary Indigenous cultures and communities of United States and Canada in different cultural and geographic areas. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  1. Describe the past and contemporary cultures of Indigenous peoples in United States and Canada.
  2. Discuss systems of power and social justice issues impacting Indigenous peoples of United States and Canada from an anthropological and cross-cultural perspective.
  3. Analyze the values, beliefs, languages, kinship, marriage customs, politics, economics, and technological practices of cultures of Indigenous peoples of United States and Canada from an anthropological perspective.
  4. Evaluate the effects of colonialism, treaties, Termination, assimilation policies, government boarding schools, reservations, urbanization and other factors on the cultures of Indigenous peoples of United States and Canada from an anthropological perspective.

Social Inquiry and Analysis

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to apply methods of inquiry and analysis to examine social contexts and the diversity of human thought and experience.

General education philosophy statement

General Education courses in anthropology encourage students to develop skills and abilities in critical thinking and cross-cultural analysis. These courses introduce students to anthropological concepts, theories and methods of inquiry, explore the cultural interconnections between individuals and social institutions, analyze cultural systems and structures of power, and use the comparative method to study the diversity of human thought and experience. This class focuses on the topic of Indigenous peoples of the U.S. and Canada.

Course Activities and Design

Course design activities may include any of the following:

  • lectures
  • class discussions
  • guest speakers
  • presentations
  • museum visits
  • field work experiences

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Assessment strategies may include any of the following:

  •  exams (in class or take home)
  • quizzes
  • term papers
  • short papers
  • projects

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Themes:

  • Anthropology
  • Culture
  • History
  • Linguistics
  • Cultural and Geographic Areas
  • U.S. government policies and relations with Indigenous cultures
  • urban and reservation life

Issues:

  • Ethnicity
  • Treaties
  • Assimilation
  • Boarding schools
  • Reservations
  • Urban Indigenous cultures
  • Ethnocentrism
  • Cultural Adaptation
  • Acculturation
  • Political conflict and Indigenous peoples resistance

Concepts:

  • Cultural Change
  • Sociolinguistic Groups
  • Band/Tribe/Chiefdom
  • Language Area
  • Culture Area

Skills:

  • read and write at the college level