Welcome to Native American Studies

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The Institute of Native American Studies at the University of Georgia was founded in 2004. It quickly established itself as one of the best programs in country. Today, we are a vibrant community of two dozen scholars, including six Native faculty, in addition to our graduate and undergraduate students. Institutes at UGA, just like departments, have three functions: teaching, programming and research

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GoFundMe -- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief

Sunday, April 5, 2020 - 4:26pm

A GoFundMe campaign has been created by Ellen Branch and team of Navajo and Hopi elders to raise funds for Najavo and Hopi families for COVID-19 relief. If you are able contribute, please consider this good cause.

New Book from UGA Alumnus Joshua Haynes

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - 9:51pm

Joshua Haynes, assistant professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi, who earned his PhD in history at UGA in addition to the INAS graduate certificate in Native American Studies, has just published his first book. Patrolling the Border: Theft and…

Return from Exile Opens at the Cherokee Heritage Center

Friday, May 12, 2017 - 3:11pm

Return from Exile: Contemporary Southeastern Indian Art, the first major traveling exhibition of contemporary art by Southeastern Native American artists opens at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, Oklahoma on May 12, 2017. RFE showcases more than fifty pieces by over…

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Archaeology Field School

The field school in archaeology provides undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to participate in an archaeological research project. Students are introduced to the methods of archaeological survey, excavation, data and materials recovery, recording and processing of data, and the interpretation and preservation of results. Our field schools involve students in all phases of investigation, including survey, test unit excavations, and large-scale data recovery. Students will be trained in basic laboratory processing and analysis and may work collaboratively to present the results of their research in a professional poster. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to critically examine how archaeological knowledge is constructed and expressed. For more information, visit:http://anthropology.uga.edu/field-school-and-study-abroad orhttps://archaeology.uga.edu/archlab/student-opportunities/archaeology-field-schools.

Our Graduate Program

The Institute of Native American Studies offers a graduate certificate in Native American Studies. This certificate can be earned by graduate students at either the masters or doctorate levels. The Director of INAS serves as advisor to all graduate students earning the certificate. We developed the certificate rather than graduate degrees to give our students maximum flexibility. Students earn a degree in a “traditional” discipline, while demonstrating their expertise in Native American Studies through a separate credential. Those earning the certificate at the masters level can go on to post-graduate work in either their core discipline or in Native American Studies. Those at the doctoral level can pursue jobs either in their core discipline or NAS.

The graduate certificate requires fifteen hours of course work. Students are required to take our introductory course and our class in Methods in Native American Studies. They must take two relevant classes in their core discipline. They must take one course outside their core discipline, selected in cooperation with the Director. Normally, because of its importance in the discipline of NAS, this is normally our class in Native American Law and Policy, unless there is a particular reason for another course is more appropriate. In addition, students must take one comprehensive examination in NAS, and their graduate project must be on a Native American topic. We also have a separate graduate track in Indigenous Latin America, and our first student is moving through the process.

Our graduate students have been drawn from Anthropology, Education, English, History, Public Health, and Religion. For public health students, we are pleased to offer a special opportunity through a collaborative arrangement with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Students who are enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe, who are earning both a graduate degree through the University of Georgia College of Public Health, as well as earning INAS’ graduate certificate, will receive a full fellowship and a summer internship at the CDC after the student’s first year.

All of our graduates have received placements upon graduation. Among other institution, they have secured teaching positions at Arkansas Tech University, Kennesaw State University, Piedmont College, University of California, Merced, and the University of Southern Mississippi. They have been employed by the Choctaw Nation, the Cultural Center of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Those earning our certificate at the masters level have gone onto graduate studies at the University of Georgia and Yale University.

In addition, because of the ties we have made to the Chinese Scholarship Council and schools in China, we annually sponsor a Chinese graduate student working on their dissertation research to be in residence at UGA. Thus far we have hosted scholars from Beijing Foreign Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University, Szechuan Normal University, Szechuan University, and Zhengzhou University. INAS logo 200x200

Anyone interested in graduate studies in Native American Studies at UGA should contact INAS Director Jace Weaver at jweaver@uga.edu.

Main menu

Slides

Female student in desk poses questions to classmate in Dr. Weaver's class

Female student stands at podium before Dr. Weaver's class

Male student standing speaks to another student in Dr. Weaver's class

News Spotlight
GoFundMe -- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief

News Spotlight
New Book from UGA Alumnus Joshua Haynes

Faculty Spotlight
Ervan Garrison

GoFundMe -- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief

New Book from UGA Alumnus Joshua Haynes

Return from Exile Opens at the Cherokee Heritage Center

Main menu

Slides

Female student in desk poses questions to classmate in Dr. Weaver's class

Female student stands at podium before Dr. Weaver's class

Male student standing speaks to another student in Dr. Weaver's class

Welcome to Native American Studies

Featured Content

News SpotlightGoFundMe -- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief

News SpotlightNew Book from UGA Alumnus Joshua Haynes

Faculty Spotlight Ervan Garrison

GoFundMe -- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief

New Book from UGA Alumnus Joshua Haynes

Return from Exile Opens at the Cherokee Heritage Center

News Spotlight
GoFundMe -- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief

News Spotlight
New Book from UGA Alumnus Joshua Haynes

Faculty Spotlight
Ervan Garrison