RELS-V267-051 Native American Religions PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS Fall 2021 Preliminary Status: This syllabus is preliminary and subject to change. In particular, the schedule might need to be adjusted as the university adapts to changing pandemic circumstances. Instructor: Jim Dugan, Ph.D. (Anthropology). Email:
[email protected]. Office Phone: 504-864-7114. Office hours by appointment, in person or by Zoom. Classroom Sessions: We meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:20 to 7:35 PM in Bobet Hall, room 216. Course Description: This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of Native American religions, with an emphasis on the indigenous cultures of North America. Course Goals: Acquaint students with forms of religious belief and expression among indigenous peoples of North America both before and after European contact, and with the historical and social factors that complicate our understanding of those religions. Course Outcomes: On successful completion of this course, students should be able to: ● Outline the social structure and subsistence patterns of indigenous peoples of North America before European contact. ● Describe some of the major supernatural beings and ceremonial practices of indigenous peoples. ● Describe the destruction of indigenous cultures resulting from European contact, and the problems this creates in the understanding of indigenous religions. ● Outline the major features of indigenous religions of North America today. Course Style: Teaching methods will include a mixture of reading, lecture, classroom discussion, and video presentations. The course is designed assuming physical attendance in an on-campus classroom, but will be adapted if circumstances require a distance-learning approach. Preliminary Syllabus as of 21 Aug 2021 1 RELS-V267-051 Native American Religions PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS Fall 2021 Required Textbook: Native Religions of North America: The Power of Visions and Fertility, by Ake Hultkrantz.