American Indian Studies Minor

Declaring the AIS Minor

Any academic advisor can declare the minor in AIS.

Students can also declare an AIS Minor by filling out the online form. For more information, contact Christopher Cruz.

DECLARE MINOR

ais minor Checklist

Overview

American Indian Studies (AIS) is committed to developing Native-centered scholarship on the contemporary and historic ways of life, knowledge, and experiences of:

  • American Indian
  • Alaska Native
  • Native Hawaiian
  • First Nation communities and individuals are fundamental

An AIS undergraduate minor provides students with a holistic and analytical study of critical issues facing Native North America in the past, present, and future and their political relationship to external governments. 

The minor plan of study focuses on fundamental AIS topics based on the discipline’s interdisciplinary strengths:

  • Sovereignty: The study of the history, politics, laws, comparative political systems, colonialism, and core issues of Native self-determination and self-government from a political perspective with an emphasis on Nation-building and on the context within which tribal Nations operate, and their interrelationships with other government structures, especially states.
  • Diversity: The study of dynamic processes of cultural exchange and social interaction among Native societies and with other Nations and the development of values of cultural awareness, self-awareness, and respect for self and others.
  • Native Voices: The study of Native oral traditions, literatures, languages, and arts found in both historic and contemporary contexts; the study of creative expressions from humanistic and Indigenous perspectives.
  • Indigenous Knowledge: The study of all aspects of knowledge developed by Native societies including science, technology, environmental understanding, philosophical principles, epistemologies, ethics, ways of interpreting the world, and sense of self and community, including traditional knowledge and sacred histories to the degree deemed appropriate for expression in transcultural situations.

The AIS minor is open to all students and can be used with almost any major on campus. 

It can be especially useful for individuals who plan to work for Native Nations so they can understand the unique sovereign relationship Indian Nations have with the federal government, and for individuals who would like to be culturally aware of the traditions and world views of the people with whom they will interact.

Minor Requirements

A minimum of 18 units in AIS courses is required for the minor. This includes 12 units of core courses and 6 units of elective courses. Nine (9) units must be in upper division (300-400 level) courses. The courses listed below are can be used to complete the minor in American Indian Studies.

Core Courses (9 units)

Students complete any 3 courses (9 units) of the following

AIS Electives (3 units)

Students complete one course (3 units) from the following:

AIS 160A1 - Many Nations of Native America
AIS 200 - Introduction to American Indian Studies
AIS 336 - History and Philosophy of the Dine People
AIS 344 - Native Americans in Film
AIS 348A - Educating Native Americans: Historic and Contemporary Perspectives
AIS 393 - Internship
AIS 399 - Independent Study
AIS 403 - Globalization and Indigenous People
AIS 415 - American Indians and the Urban Experience
AIS 426A - Principles of Indigenous Economics
AIS 431A - Traditional Ecological Knowledge
AIS 434 - Tribal Government
AIS 441A - Natural Resource Management in Native Communities
AIS 448 - Producing and Assessing Social Research with Indian Communities
AIS 450 - American Indian Women
AIS 452A - Mixed Media Stories: Stories in Text and Film
AIS 465 - Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)
AIS 485 - American Indian Gaming
AIS 493 - Internship
AIS 495A - American Indian Studies
AIS 498A - Honors Thesis
ANTH/AIS 346 - Migrations and Landscapes of the Ancient Southwest
ENGL/AIS 278 - American Indian Literature
ENGL/AIS 477 - Studies of Native American Literature
GEOG 397C - Native SOAR
GEOG/AIS 312 - Native American Geography
LAS/POL/AIS 356 - Indigenous Resistance in Latin America
LAW/AIS 450A - Native American Law & Policy
LING/AIS 104A - Beginning Diné Language
LING/AIS 104B - Beginning Diné Language
LING/AIS 204A - Intermediate Diné Language
LING/AIS 204B - Intermediate Diné Language
LING/AIS 210 - American Indian Languages
LING/AIS 307A - Elementary Tohono O'odham Language
LING/AIS 307B - Elementary Tohono O'odham Language
LING/AIS 427 - Linguistics for Native American Communities
MAS/AIS 405 - Traditional Indian Medicine
RELI/AIS 212 - American Indian Religious Traditions
RELI/AIS 407 - Religion, Spirituality, and the Sacred in Native North America

Minor Additional Electives (6 units)

Students complete two courses (6 units) from the following:

AIS 160A1 - Many Nations of Native America
AIS 200 - Introduction to American Indian Studies
AIS 336 - History and Philosophy of the Dine People
AIS 344 - Native Americans in Film
AIS 348A - Educating Native Americans: Historic and Contemporary Perspectives
AIS 393 - Internship
AIS 399 - Independent Study
AIS 403 - Globalization and Indigenous People
AIS 415 - American Indians and the Urban Experience
AIS 420A - Indigenous Children's Literature
AIS 426A - Principles of Indigenous Economics
AIS 431A - Traditional Ecological Knowledge
AIS 434 - Tribal Government
AIS 441A - Natural Resource Management in Native Communities
AIS 448 - Producing and Assessing Social Research with Indian Communities
AIS 450 - American Indian Women
AIS 452A - Mixed Media Stories: Stories in Text and Film
AIS 465 - Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)
AIS 485 - American Indian Gaming
AIS 493 - Internship
AIS 495A - American Indian Studies
AIS 498A - Honors Thesis
ANTH/AIS 346 - Migrations and Landscapes of the Ancient Southwest
ENGL/AIS 278 - American Indian Literature
ENGL/AIS 477 - Studies of Native American Literature
GEOG 397C - Native SOAR
GEOG/AIS 312 - Native American Geography
LAS/POL/AIS 356 - Indigenous Resistance in Latin America
LAW/AIS 450A - Native American Law & Policy
LING/AIS 104A - Beginning Diné Language
LING/AIS 104B - Beginning Diné Language
LING/AIS 204A - Intermediate Diné Language
LING/AIS 204B - Intermediate Diné Language
LING/AIS 210 - American Indian Languages
LING/AIS 307A - Elementary Tohono O'odham Language
LING/AIS 307B - Elementary Tohono O'odham Language
LING/AIS 427 - Linguistics for Native American Communities
MAS/AIS 405 - Traditional Indian Medicine
RELI/AIS 212 - American Indian Religious Traditions
RELI/AIS 407 - Religion, Spirituality, and the Sacred in Native North America

Other Information

  • AIS minor courses may NOT be shared with any other major/minor.
  • For information about rules regarding double dipping AIS minor courses with General Education requirements, contact the AIS minor advisor.
  • AIS Minor Checklist

Course Clusters

Beginning Fall 2025

If student is already an AIS Minor course clusters are optional and will not change students' coursework

AIS Minors can choose 3 core courses (9 units) and any 3 courses (9 units) from the boxes below!

 

AIS Undergraduate Minor Course Clusters

Contact Us

For more information about AIS Undergraduate Studies, please contact the AIS main office, Undergraduate Advisor Christopher Cruz, or Dr. Amy Fatzinger, Director of Undergraduate Studies.

AIS Main Office
aisp@arizona.edu
520-621-7108

Christopher Cruz, Advisor
cbcruz75@arizona.edu

Dr. Amy Fatzinger, Director of Undergraduate Studies
fatzinge@arizona.edu