Native American Leadership (NAL)

NAL 5002 Intro to Native American Leadership
This course will introduce students to the complex and unique environment of Native American Leadership within the United States. This course examines Native American leadership paradigms and discuss essential, culturally aligned core values for effective Native American Leadership in tribal governance, education, healthcare, cultural preservation, community development, natural resource management, and economic development.

NAL 5013 Current Topics in Indian Country
The course examines issues that directly impact the daily operations of tribal governments and the tribal members of those governments. The course will highlight areas from a broad range of topics with the understanding that these topics of interest are constantly changing and developing.

NAL 5113 Organizational Leadership in Native
American Organizations This course focuses on effective organizational leadership approaches, strategies, and methods within Native American Organizations. Introducing leadership tactics and cognitive frames students can use to assess organizational culture and environmental factors, evaluate behaviors, and apply effective responses within a Native American organizational context.

NAL 5123 Multi-cultural Leadership in Native
American Organizations This course presents the fundamentals of multi-cultural leadership and assists students in developing the essential skills for effective multi-cultural bridge-building within Native American organizations and across Indian Country.

NAL 5133 Leadership Communication for Native
American Organizations Leaders not only need a vision, but a way to effectively communicate that vision. This course will prepare the student for a variety of leadership roles by exploring contemporary concepts about the meanings and functions of communication and presentations in organizations. Communication styles of Native American peoples will be examined to better understand the characteristics that may include eye contact, assertiveness, and body language. Students will analyze key aspects of knowing the audience, developing persuasive content, effectively using media, understanding delivery techniques, and the use of story in presentations. Students will contend with these concepts from a personal standpoint by using examples from their own experiences to apply best practices and improve their own communication and leadership skills.

NAL 5143 Indigenous Ways of Knowing & Being
This course examines the role of Native culture and Indigenous ways of knowing and being in approaching and solving problems, the mental activities needed to effectively formulate or solve problems, make decisions, or understand and conceptualize issues. Concepts such as free will, determinism, truth, knowing, and moral judgements will be explored and applied to the modern leader. Barriers to effective problem-solving will be reviewed along with strategies for improvement. Special attention will be paid to the role of Indigenous cultural values, traditions, and worldviews in the problem-solving process.

NAL 5153 Leadership Skills for Native American
Organizations This course focuses on developing the personal skill set to become an exceptional leader in Indian Country. Exploring the influence of leaders regardless of position and the role of managers at all levels as servant leaders in tribal organizations. The challenges of balancing the needs of supervisors, subordinates, colleagues, and citizens will be addressed along with the case studies exploring how exceptional leaders in Native American / tribal organizations successfully handled challenges and crisis.

NAL 5203 Grant Writing for Indigenous Communities
and Organizations This course presents strategies, tools, and best practices for sourcing, preparing and submitting grant request proposals to federal, state, foundation, and corporate grant funding agencies. Students will prepare a complete grant for a project of their choice using templates and guides provided in the course. Students may propose developing grant proposal topics related to education, housing healthcare, cultural preservation I revitalization, community development, economic development, the arts, and other Native American / Indigenous related projects or programs.

NAL 5213 Native American Education, U.S. Policy &
Law This course focuses on historical and contemporary developments in Indigenous Native American and Alaskan Native education policy within the United States; and the results of governmental education policy and law on Indigenous peoples. The course includes historical perspective on North American Indigenous education prior to the arrival of Spanish, British, French, and other European influences and will give careful examination to U.S. Federal “American Indian Education” legislation and policies.

NAL 5223 Native American Geography &Treaties
This course examines the historical relationships of Indigenous peoples of North America to place and the tribal nation’s experiences of the treaty-making era with the United States of America. Concepts of agency, survivance, and the importance of place in Indigenous cultures will be discussed to assist students in understanding the context of Native American removal, and relocation. Students will use colonial era documents, Historical Geography, Native American Indigenous Peoples’ Geographies of the Homeland, and Native American Treaties as evidence for to multi-disciplinary, qualitative research. RATIONALE: The proposed changes to this course are more accurate reflections of course content & applicability to program.

NAL 5233 Native American Tribal Sovereignty
This course explores concepts of Indigenous Sovereignty, and the effects of U.S. policy and law on Native American and Alaska Native Indigenous peoples. Concepts of agency and survivance will be applied to assist students in understanding sovereignty and its many potential implications and expressions beyond a legal construct or matter of law. Students will use European colonial era documents, U.S. federal and state court cases, federal Indian policies, Indian treaties, and/ or the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights as evidence for multi-disciplinary, qualitative research.

NAL 5243 Ethnohistory of Native Peoples
This course examines the history of Native peoples through the lens of land, agency, sovereignty, language, and aesthetic. Students will use historical records, and source materials such as maps, music, paintings, photography, folklore, oral tradition, archaeological materials, museum collections, enduring customs, language, and place names to perform multi-disciplinary, qualitative research.

NAL 5253 Federal Indian Policy & Law
This course presents an overview of federal policies and laws governing Native American “Indian” tribes and Native American individuals within the boundaries of the United States, from the colonial era to the present day. The course will explore the major eras in federal Indian policy and law, focusing on the unique relationship Tribal Nations and Native American peoples have with the United States government. Seminal cases and legal precedents in U.S. Federal Indian policy and law will be considered. The purpose of this course is to educate students on foundational aspects of Federal Indian Policy & Law and equip students with tools that may help in professional careers in tribal governments or other areas that intersect with law and policy regarding Native American tribes.

NAL 5603 Nation-Buidling in Indian Country
This course presents an overview of Tribal Nation- building in Indian Country. The course explores successes, opportunities, and challenges faced in tribal development and focus on the significant contributing factors for culturally relevant sustainable Nation-building. Topics include holistic approach to tribal community development, Constructive Indigenization, the application of Indigenous forms of leadership, strong governance systems, seventh generation (indigenous) thinking, cultural match, and aspects of self- determination. The purpose of this course is to educate students on foundational aspects of Native American hospitality management and equip them with tools that will contribute to professional careers in hospitality management in Native American venues or with Native- American owned organizations.

NAL 5613 Program and Project Management in
Indigenous Organizations This course focuses on the role of program and project management in achieving the goals of Tribal Nations, Native American serving non-profits, and tribally owned businesses. Students will explore how to apply a culturally aligned project methodology in modern tribal organizations through a systemic approach for communicating, planning, scheduling, and controlling timelines, budgets, and quality criteria. The course will also introduce program and project management techniques for increasing effectiveness in meeting the requirements of U.S. government agencies (such as Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Indian Health Service, National Indian Gaming Commission, and National Institute of Health) when developing and delivering programs involving or serving Native American tribes. The purpose of this course is to educate students on foundational aspects of program and project management and equip them with tools that will contribute to professional careers in Native American tribal government, tribally owned non-profit, and for-profit organizations.

NAL 5623 Hospitality Management and Tourism in
Indian Country This course presents an overview of hospitality management and its application within the Native American Hospitality sector (Indian Country). The course will explore the unique hospitality and tourism opportunities available to tribally owned organizations as well as specific challenges and constraints of various forms of Native American hospitality & tourism. The purpose of this course is to educate students on foundational aspects of Native American hospitality management and equip them with tools that will contribute to professional careers in hospitality management in Native American venues or with Native-American owned organizations.

NAL 5643 Native American Cultural Preservation
Practicum This course provides students with a guided learning experience in Native American cultural preservation. The course presents the historical context of Native American cultural preservation in the United States and focus on best practices in cultural preservation. Students will explore cultural resources for one or more Native American Tribes, complete a cultural preservation practicum project (developed with the approval of Native American Leadership faculty), and prepare a final reflection essay synthesizing their learning from the guided practicum experience.

NAL 5970 Special Studies
Individualized project selected in consultation with professor.