The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in American Indian Studies degree provides a multi-disciplinary academic approach to studying Indigenous Peoples, their cultures, struggles, and maintaining sovereignty and self-determination. This degree empowers students to effectively work in urban and rural environments, and government agencies, and help Native Nations. Coursework focuses on historic relations with non-Indian societies, the development of federal Indian law, tribal governments, treaty rights, environmental issues, public policy, economic development, cultural preservation, and contemporary social issues. This degree provides students with the foundational coursework needed to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in the field.
Details
This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:
- Analyze tribal, federal, state, and municipal governmental policy and legal interactions related to inherent sovereignty.
- Collaborate effectively to identify and examine issues at the tribal, state, and national levels that affect the holistic well-being of Indigenous Peoples.
- Examine the Indigenous concept of interconnectedness with respect to the Sacred, which is holistically and organically inclusive of culture, homeland, worldview, identity, nature, and sustainability.
- Analyze the various ways in which Indigenous Peoples identify and organize themselves in relation to pre- and post-colonial contact.
- Analyze the impacts of sovereign powers at the tribal, state, and federal levels in relation to the international governmental forum.
- Examine the laws, codes, and statutes at the tribal, federal, and state levels.
- Examine the impact of political diversity and historic, socio-economic, contemporary, and cultural contexts on Indigenous Peoples and their respective cultures.
- Perform academic research and writing in accordance with ethical standards and scholarly practices.
- Effectively communicate orally, visually, digitally, and in writing in a manner that demonstrates cross-cultural empathy, self-awareness, open mindedness, and responsiveness.
- Illustrate the ways in which the influences of past and current social and political institutions promote inequalities, privileges, stereotypes, mistrust, and biases that continue to extrinsically shape the identity of Indigenous Peoples.
- Value Indigenous knowledge as it relates to multi-generational cultural education, including elderhood, oral traditions, and aesthetics.
- Examine the endangerment of Indigenous language extinction and the acceleration of Indigenous culture loss as well as the efforts to revitalize and restore them.
Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based annual median wages* for this program. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information.
Anthropologists and Archeologists
$63,020 Show expanded career information for Anthropologists and Archeologists
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
$73,980 Show expanded career information for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Calibration Technologists and Technicians and Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other
$54,880 Show expanded career information for Calibration Technologists and Technicians and Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other
Compliance Officers
$65,830 Show expanded career information for Compliance Officers
Curators
$54,770 Show expanded career information for Curators
Customer Service Representatives
$33,590 Show expanded career information for Customer Service Representatives
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
$46,420 Show expanded career information for First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
$52,480 Show expanded career information for First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
Forest and Conservation Workers
$30,460 Show expanded career information for Forest and Conservation Workers
Historians
$55,630 Show expanded career information for Historians
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
$25,310 Show expanded career information for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
Interpreters and Translators
$43,840 Show expanded career information for Interpreters and Translators
Legal Support Workers, All Other
$50,750 Show expanded career information for Legal Support Workers, All Other
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$44,210 Show expanded career information for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Nursing Assistants
$32,180 Show expanded career information for Nursing Assistants
Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
$39,790 Show expanded career information for Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
$53,380 Show expanded career information for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Recreation Workers
$25,240 Show expanded career information for Recreation Workers
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$48,490 Show expanded career information for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Social and Human Service Assistants
$32,030 Show expanded career information for Social and Human Service Assistants
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
$74,190 Show expanded career information for Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary
$24,840 Show expanded career information for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary
- Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:
- Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
- The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
- Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
- Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include AAA/CPD150, AAA/CPD150AC, CPD104, and AAA115/CPD115. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.
Full-time Sequence
Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.
Awareness Areas |
---|
|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AIS/SOC105 | Introduction to American Indian Studies | Critical course Gateway course | C | 3 | |
ENG101 or ENG107 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
MAT14+ | Mathematics | 3–6 | |||
BPC110 or CIS105 | Computer Usage and Applications or Survey of Computer Information Systems | CS | 3 | ||
SB | Social & Behavioral Sciences | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS101 OR AIS/HIS140 OR AIS/SOC141 | SB | 3 | |
AAA/CPD115 or AAA/CPD150 or AAA/CPD150AC or CPD104 | Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development | 0–3 |
Term 2
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking | Or equivalent by assessment. | L | 0–3 | |
COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements | SB or L | 3 | |
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS213/REL203 OR ENH259 American Indian Literature | HU | 3 | |
L | Literacy & Critical Inquiry | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS213/REL203 | L | 3 | |
AIS/SOC160 | American Indian Law | AIS160 and satisfies a required course for AC in American Indian Studies | C, H | 3 |
Term 3
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SB | Social & Behavioral Sciences | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS101 OR AIS/HIS140 OR AIS/SOC141 | SB | 3 | |
SQ | Natural Sciences Quantitative | SQ | 4 | ||
NAV101 | Elementary Navajo I | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment. NAV101 satisfies course requirement from restricted elective list for AC in American Indian Studies | 0–4 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQ or SG | Natural Sciences | SQ or SG | 4 | ||
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS213/REL203 OR ENH259 American Indian Literature | HU | 3 | |
NAV102 | Elementary Navajo II | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment. | 0–4 |
Part-time Sequence
Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.
Awareness Areas |
---|
|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AIS/SOC105 | Introduction to American Indian Studies | Critical course Gateway course | C | 3 | |
ENG101 or ENG107 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
AAA/CPD115 or AAA/CPD150 or AAA/CPD150AC or CPD104 | Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development | 0–3 |
Term 2
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking | Or equivalent by assessment. | L | 0–3 | |
AIS/SOC160 | American Indian Law | AIS160 and satisfies a required course for AC in American Indian Studies | C, H | 3 |
Term 3
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MAT14+ | Mathematics | 3–6 | |||
L | Literacy & Critical Inquiry | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS213/REL203 | L | 3 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BPC110 or CIS105 | Computer Usage and Applications or Survey of Computer Information Systems | CS | 3 | ||
SB | Social & Behavioral Sciences | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS101 OR AIS/HIS140 OR AIS/SOC141 | SB | 3 |
Term 5
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements | SB or L | 0–3 | |
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS213/REL203 OR ENH259 American Indian Literature | HU | 3 |
Term 6
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SB | Social & Behavioral Sciences | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS101 OR AIS/HIS140 OR AIS/SOC141 | SB | 3 | |
NAV101 | Elementary Navajo I | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment. NAV101 satisfies course requirement from restricted elective list for AC in American Indian Studies | 0–4 |
Term 7
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQ | Natural Sciences Quantitative | SQ | 4 | ||
NAV102 | Elementary Navajo II | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment. | 0–4 |
Term 8
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQ or SG | Natural Sciences | SQ or SG | 4 | ||
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: AIS213/REL203 OR ENH259 American Indian Literature | HU | 3 |
Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.
Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.
- C = Cultural Diversity in the US
- CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
- FYC = First Year Composition
- G = Global Awareness
- H = Historical Awareness
- HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
- L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
- MA = Mathematics
- SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
- SG = Natural Sciences General
- SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.
Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.
View MCCCD’s curriculum website for the Associate in Arts in Associate in Arts, Emphasis in American Indian Studies (http://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=141880).
At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.