Indians and Empires in North America · History
Breaking down traditional American narratives of land development. Early Indian, French, British, and American interactions.
I learned and gained insight into the complexities of the Native and Colonial relationships in early America (which I had not known before).
I learned a lot about early American justifications for settler-colonialism, especially how Lockean theory was used by Americans to morally and legally justify dispossession of Indigenous lands. Beyond that, the course focussed on methods in Indigenous studies, removal and resistance in the Northwest, and the overlap of Indigenous and Afro-American history. (He loves Tiya Miles and Samantha Seeley.)
Maybe the class was only disorganized because Dr. Witgen just moved from Michigan and had a book published this semester. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2022 Course: HISTUN3501_001_2022_1-IndiansandEmpiresinNorthAmerica : HISTUN3501_001_2022_1 - Indians and Empires in North America Instructor: Michael Witgen
Taught me how to better approach the development of historical writing from an Indigenous perspective.
A huge amount! I came in knowing very little about early colonial Native American history and I feel much better versed after completing the course.
Learned a lot about the different leading thinkers/ historians in Native North America field. Analyzed primary documents and worked on how to produce original research. analyzed the intersection of anthropology and history and how to analyze documents historically when they had been previously used in other fields
Greater understanding of history, using primary sources, critically analyzing sources, and writing historical narratives.
The course is interesting and the professor is great! The structure of the course just doesn't really allow for a week "off" because there's no where to hide if you didn't do the readings, but I actually found this helpful for accountability.
I think this class requires a lot of work but is worth it, especially for those studying history. It is also really nice to have an Indigenous professor teaching the course. He cares about students and is super helpful as you go through your research. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2023 Course: HISTUN3501_001_2023_1-IndiansandEmpiresinNorthAmerica : HISTUN3501_001_2023_1 - Indians and Empires in North America Instructor: Michael Witgen