Middlebury

SOAN 0321

Native Peoples of the Americas

Native Peoples of the Americas
This course introduces students to the indigenous peoples of North and South America, from before European conquest to the present. Following a brief look at the mound-builders of North America, we will explore the connection between social stratification, religious ideology and imperial expansion in the political economy of the Aztecs and the Incas. Ethnographies of Quechua peasants in the Peruvian Andes, Yanomami Indians in the Amazon, and Oglala Sioux in the Dakotas will show how contemporary Native Americans are dealing with the never-ending process of colonialism. How Europeans have imagined indigenous peoples has had a profound impact on how the latter defend themselves. The resulting images of authenticity and resistance have always been double-edged. The course will conclude with the debate over the reservation paradigm in the U.S. Limited places available for students to satisfy the College writing requirement. (SOAN 0103 or SOAN 0105 or SOAN 0340) 3 hrs. lect./disc. (Anthropology)
Subject:
Sociology/Anthropology
Department:
Sociology/Anthropology
Division:
Social Sciences
Requirements Fulfilled:
AAL CMP SOC
Equivalent Courses:

Sections in Fall 2006

Fall 2006

SOAN0321A-F06 Lecture (Stoll)
SOAN0321B-F06 Lecture (Stoll)