Associate in Arts, Emphasis in American Indian Studies
The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in American Indian Studies 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
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.
Federal Indian policy stipulates tribal preference in hiring, which should be considered in seeking employment with tribal nations and selected federal agencies. Seek advice of the tribal agency for available employment opportunities.
Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.
- 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.
- Apply relevant knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to seek career opportunities in the field.
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 wages* for this degree. 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. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.
Anthropologists and Archeologists
$61,390 Show expanded career information for Anthropologists and Archeologists
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
$78,800 Show expanded career information for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Curators
$54,520 Show expanded career information for Curators
Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers
$67,680 Show expanded career information for Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
$51,280 Show expanded career information for First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
$59,190 Show expanded career information for First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
Forest and Conservation Workers
$33,520 Show expanded career information for Forest and Conservation Workers
Historians
$68,400 Show expanded career information for Historians
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
$29,630 Show expanded career information for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$68,180 Show expanded career information for Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Interpreters and Translators
$37,840 Show expanded career information for Interpreters and Translators
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$50,580 Show expanded career information for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Nursing Assistants
$34,610 Show expanded career information for Nursing Assistants
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
$56,120 Show expanded career information for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
$71,910 Show expanded career information for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Recreation Workers
$33,560 Show expanded career information for Recreation Workers
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$55,180 Show expanded career information for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Social and Human Service Assistants
$39,460 Show expanded career information for Social and Human Service Assistants
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
$78,220 Show expanded career information for Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:
- Legal Support Workers, All Other
- Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other
- Teaching Assistants, All Other
* Career and wage information provided by Pipeline AZ using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources.
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 Degree Progress Report Tool in your 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 FYE101 and FYE103. 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Critical course Gateway course | C | 3 | |||
or |
or | FYC or FYC | 3 | ||
MA | 3–6 | ||||
CS | 3 | ||||
or |
or | 1–3 |
Term 2
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
or |
or | FYC or FYC | 3 | ||
OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment | L | 0–3 | |||
or or or |
or or or | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements | SB or SB or L or SB | 0–3 | |
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: / | L | 3 | |||
AIS/ satisfies a required course for AC in American Indian Studies | C, H | 3 |
Term 3
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: / OR American Indian Literature | HU | 3 | |||
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: OR AIS/ OR AIS/ |
SB | 3 | |||
SQ | 4 | ||||
Elective | Elective | Recommended: OR OR OR OR OR OR | 0–3 | ||
Elective | Elective | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: OR OR OR OR OR OR OR |
0–3 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
or |
or | SG or SQ | 4 | ||
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: / OR American Indian Literature | HU | 3 | |||
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: OR AIS/ OR AIS/ |
SB | 3 | |||
Elective | Elective | 0–3 |
Part-time Sequence
Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.
Awareness Areas |
---|
|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Critical course Gateway course | C | 3 | |||
or |
or | FYC or FYC | 3 | ||
or |
or | 1–3 |
Term 2
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
or |
or | FYC or FYC | 3 | ||
OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment | L | 0–3 | |||
AIS/ satisfies a required course for AC in American Indian Studies | C, H | 3 |
Term 3
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3–6 | |||||
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: / | L | 3 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
or |
or | CS or CS | 3 | ||
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: OR AIS/ OR AIS/ |
SB | 3 |
Term 5
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
or or or |
or or or | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements | SB or SB or L or SB | 0–3 | |
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: / OR American Indian Literature | HU | 3 |
Term 6
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: OR AIS/ OR AIS/ |
SB | 3 | |||
Elective | Elective | Recommended: OR OR OR OR OR OR | 0–3 | ||
Elective | Elective | Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: OR OR OR OR OR OR OR |
0–3 |
Term 7
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQ | 4 | ||||
Elective | Elective | 0–3 |
Term 8
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
or |
or | SG or SQ | 4 | ||
Recommended for students intending to earn the Academic Certificate in American Indian Studies: / OR 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 for additional details regarding the requirements of this award .
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.
The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. All previous catalog years for this pathway map are available at the link below.