Bachelor of Arts in American Indian Studies
The core mandate of AIS is to provide education to students in the unique histories, cultures, politics, and social conditions of the Native American and Indigenous peoples in territories now claimed and occupied by the United States. To fulfill this mandate, its program is interdisciplinary, comparative, and international in scope. Students are provided a curriculum that balances academic rigor, creative expression, and direct community engagement. Students learn about the diversity of Indigenous epistemology, historical methodology, political philosophy and practice, as well as language, art, film, and music. They learn how to apply Indigenous theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to address intersecting social experiences and concerns, including matters of social justice. Students are required to complete both an original research and writing based senior project and a community service learning class through which they work with Indigenous non-profit organizations in the Bay Area. These experiences provide them with the critical skills necessary for public, private, and non-profit work as well as graduate research and writing in Indigenous and related fields of study.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Completing the Bachelor of Arts in American Indian Studies (AIS) empowers students to do the following:
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Understand the complex histories, politics, and social issues confronting Native peoples in the context of U.S. colonization, imperialism, and globalization. This understanding will include awareness of the diverse political and creative strategies used by Native peoples to confront the historical legacies of dispossession, genocide, and social inequity and discrimination, including legal action for land restoration, cultural conservation/revitalization efforts, and multiple media of creative expression.
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Compare and contrast the uniqueness of Native epistemologies and their articulation in multiple practices — from land and water care, foodways, cultural resource management, literature, music, and the arts.
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Appreciate experiential knowledge through community service learning, as a way of connecting classroom education to career preparation and advisement.
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Develop the necessary analytical, oral communication, information literacy, and writing skills to prepare them for careers or graduate school in areas related to American Indian Studies.
Community Service Learning
Many courses within the major provide a Community Service Learning (CSL) option, including AIS 205 and AIS 460. This option allows students to integrate classroom education with community participatory learning. Students are enrolled in an AIS core or elective course plus AIS 694 and work with an organization approved by the department for 15-45 hours over the course of the semester (depending on the units). AIS 694 is entirely online, with requirements that include short written assignments and a book review. Organizations with which students have served in the past include the American Indian Child Resource Center, California Indian Legal Services, The Cultural Conservancy, International Indian Treaty Council, and the Native American Health Center.
Career Outlook
An American Indian Studies major provides a diverse foundation of knowledge and skills that can be applied to a number of careers. American Indian Studies alumni have and can anticipate securing employment in agricultural and pastoral enterprises, environmental and cultural rights organizations, ethnography and cultural programs, health care and social work, media and communications industries, museums and cultural centers, teaching, tribal businesses and government, the traditional arts, and federal and state agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Indian Health Services, National and State Park Services, Title IX Indian Education Program, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
American Indian Studies (B.A.) - 39 Units
Core Requirements (21 Units)
Students in the major must earn a grade of C or better for each course in the core.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AIS 100 | Introduction to American Indian Studies | 3 |
| AIS 150 | American Indian History in the United States | 3 |
| AIS 205 | American Indians and U.S. Laws | 3 |
| AIS 300 | American Indian Studies Research Methodologies | 3 |
| AIS 694 | Community Service Learning | 3 |
| AIS 680 | American Indian Studies Senior Seminar | 3 |
| ETHS 300GW | Writing in Ethnic Studies - GWAR | 3 |
Elective Requirements (18 Units)
A total number of six courses (18 units) of electives are required for the degree. Upon advisement, students select two courses (6 units) at the lower division level and four courses (12 units) at the upper-division level. Both lower and upper division courses are focused in two areas: 1. Cultural Self-Determination; 2. Social Justice and Equity.
1. Cultural Self-Determination
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AIS/RRS 103 | Introduction to Pacific Islander Studies | 3 |
| AIS 160 | Survey of Native California | 3 |
| AIS 162 | American Indian Oral Literature | 3 |
| AIS 310 | American Indian Religion and Philosophy | 3 |
| AIS 320 | American Indian Music | 3 |
| AIS 325 | American Indian Art | 3 |
| AIS 400 | American Indian Education | 3 |
| AIS 410 | Perspectives of Native California Indians | 3 |
| AIS/SXS/WGS 440 | Native Sexualities and Queer Discourse | 3 |
| AIS 450 | American Indian Science | 3 |
| AIS 470 | American Indian Ethnicity: Problems in Identity | 3 |
| AIS 520 | Before the Wilderness: American Indian Ecology | 3 |
| AIS 560 | Modern Creative and Performing Arts | 3 |
2. Justice and Equity
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AIS 235 | American Indians: Image and Issues in the Mass Media | 3 |
| AIS 330 | American Indian Law | 3 |
| AIS/AFRS 350/LTNS 355 | Black Indians in the Americas | 3 |
| AIS/WGS 420 | Native Genders and Feminism | 3 |
| AIS/RRS 433 | Pacific Islanders in Film: Re-Presenting Oceania Through an Indigenous Lens | 3 |
| AIS 460 | Power and Politics in American Indian History | 3 |
| AIS 550 | American Indians in Contemporary U.S. History | 3 |
Note: A minimum of 30 upper-division units must be completed for the degree (including upper-division units required for the major, general education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper-division units required for graduation. In this case, additional upper-division courses will be needed to reach the required total.
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Composition | LD | 3 | 1A |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | 1B |
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | 1C |
| Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | 2 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | 3A |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | 3B |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | LD | 6 | 4 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | 5A |
| Biological Science | LD | 3 | 5B |
| Laboratory | LD | 1 | 5C |
| Ethnic Studies | LD or UD | 3 | 6 |
| Science or Math/Quantitative Reasoning | UD | 3 | 5UD or 2UD |
| Arts or Humanities | UD | 3 | 3UD |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | UD | 3 | 4UD |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
Note: A minimum of 40 upper division units must be completed for the degree (including upper division units required for the major, general education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper division units required for graduation. In this case, additional upper division courses will be needed to reach the required total.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in Social Justice Studies.
This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Social Justice Studies
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).
Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area 3 and 3 units in lower-division GE area 4 until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes, options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet GE Areas 1A/A2, 1B/A3, 1C/A1, and 2/B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (1B/A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the 1B/A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.