Native American and Indigenous Studies
Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at UConn is a vibrant hub for research, scholarship, and outreach among scholars, students, and Indigenous community members. Our mission is to become a center for renewed presence of Indigenous peoples in Connecticut, New England, and the entire Eastern region of the United States.
Our Faculty
UConn NAIS faculty members have diverse interests that span the social sciences, humanities, life sciences, and education. This academic breadth allows us to explore topics that impact Native American and Indigenous communities from various perspectives and to establish unique collaborations between disciplines.
Professor of Political Science and Director of Native American and Indigenous Studies
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of English
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership
Neag School of Education
Assistant Professor of History
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Director of Native American Cultural Programs
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor-in-Residence and Director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Contact Us
For more information, please contact:
Professor of Political Science and Director of Native American and Indigenous Studies
sandy.grande@uconn.edu
Courses
Native American and Indigenous Studies professors teach courses in subject areas across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Fall 2024 Course Offerings
Minor Courses
ANTH 3030. Indigenous Pacifics (formerly Peoples of the Pacific) - Dr. Nathan Acebo
Recommended Courses
- ANTH 1001W. Anthropology Through Film - Dr. Bruno Seraphin
- ANTH 1095. Introduction to Decolonization and Indigenous Worlds - Dr. Nathan Acebo
- ANTH 5395-093/LLAS 5105-002. Racial Capitalism (listed as "Special Topics") - Dr. Joshua Mayer
- ANTH 5395-094. Settler Colonialism (listed as "Special Topics") - Dr. Bruno Seraphin
- ENGL 1601W. Race, Gender, and the Cultural Industry - Dr. April Anson
- ENGL 3265E. Literature and the Environment - Dr. April Anson
- MCB 3847W. Historically Excluded and Underrepresented Scientists - Dr. Kat Milligan-McClellan
- POLS 2998. Introduction to Indigenous Theory, Politics, and Governance (listed as Variable Topics) - Dr. Sandy Grande
Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative
UConn NAIS currently offers an undergraduate minor to students at the University of Connecticut. In addition to expanding our curriculum at UConn, we are involved in several initiatives that aim to strengthen the Native American and Indigenous community at UConn and beyond our campuses.
Among our priorities is to build stronger relations between UConn and the five recognized Tribes in Connecticut: the Eastern Pequot, the Golden Hill Paugussett, the Mashantucket Pequot, the Mohegan, and the Schaghticoke. Improving these relations will offer new insights into our region’s history and the continuing inequities faced by Indigenous peoples. They will also provide an inclusive structure from which to build restorative collaborations and community-driven programming and research.
Other ongoing initiatives include:
- We work closely with UConn’s Native American Cultural Programs and the Native American and Indigenous Students Association to build student community at the Storrs and regional campuses.
- We sponsor collaborative events where scholars and students can exchange ideas, such as IndigiPalooza, an annual series with panel discussions and external speakers.
- UConn NAIS is a founding member of the Quinnehtukqut River Collective, which brings together scholars, students, and tribal community members from UConn and other academic institutions to build community in the region.
- We are expanding the most recent work of Land Grab CT, a project produced in conjunction with other UConn partners to collect and map land data tied to land-grant Universities and the 1862 Morrill Act.
- We are partnering with the Akomawt Educational Initiative to establish a summit with key stakeholders and community members. The goals of this summit include developing a strategic plan to reclaim UConn and the Northeast as a vibrant site of NAIS research and discussing the future of Indigenous education in the region.
Tribal Education Initiative Timeline
The Tribal Education Initiative (TEI) Timeline is a living account of the historical and ongoing efforts by Native and Indigenous students, faculty, staff, and their critical allies to establish an institutional presence at the University of Connecticut. This work aims to hold UConn accountable to its history as an institution founded through Indigenous dispossession and to its unrealized promise and potential as a Land and Sea Grant university.
2017-2020
- The College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR) receives a Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) grant to work with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) on agriculture, youth development, and health of the tribal members. Since then, UConn Extension educators have been closely working with the tribe.
- The Meechooôk Farm opens on Pequot lands with the support and partnership of the UConn Extension Program
- UConn adopts a Land Acknowledgement, crafted with the guidance of the members of Akomawt Educational Initiative (Jason Mancini, Chris Newell, endawnis Spears).
- Students, led by Sage Phillips (Penobscot), establish the Native American and Indigenous Students Association (NAISA).
2020-2021
- The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) hires the first-ever faculty cohort of Native American and Indigenous Studies scholars (NAIS).
- LandGrabCT is launched; a project documenting this history of land acquisition and appropriation by UConn. The project was co-led by then faculty member, Glen Mitoma and student Sage Phillips, a current Graduate Student in the Master’s program in Human Rights.
- NAIS faculty host the first-ever IndigiPalooza!, a three-day celebration with lectures, performances, and film screenings by prominent Indigenous scholars and creatives.
- The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Department of Agriculture is created, with UConn Extension as a strategic partner.
- Three NAIS faculty receive competitive grants, and earn research leaves in 2021-2022.
2021-2022
- Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) is hired as the first-ever Tribal Community Member-in-Residence.
- The Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative is created and funded by CLAS.
- NAIS faculty earn a grant to create the first-ever General Education course on Native American and Indigenous Studies.
- NAIS students and faculty host a Community Welcome dinner.
- CAHNR receives a New Beginnings grant supported by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The New Beginnings Program supports tribally enrolled students from the Northeast through integrated financial, cultural, and academic programs in UConn’s Ratcliffe Hicks Associate Degree Program. This two-year program offers three areas of focus: Plant Science, Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, or Animal Science.
- Professor Nick Reo (Canada Research Chair, Simon Fraser University) is hired as the Inaugural NAIS Visiting Faculty Fellow for spring 2022.
- The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program organizes a visit with renowned Elder and Indigenous activist Phyllis Young at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
- NAIS students and faculty host a first-ever Summit with Tribal community members on the future of Native Studies at UConn.
2022-2023
- CAHNR receives second FRTEP grant to continue the collaborative work with MPTN.
- UConn President Maric makes a financial commitment to support further development of the Native American Cultural Program (NACP).
- The first cohort of New Beginnings students start at UConn.
- Plans are underway to make Chris Newell’s appointment permanent; starting in fall 2024 he will serve as the Director of the Native American Cultural Programs and Instructor in Residence.
- NAIS faculty are awarded a “United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture” grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Connecticut Humanities.
- Three more NAIS faculty are hired in CLAS through national searches, two in anthropology and one in English.
- CLAS launches new searches for two additional NAIS faculty (in geography and English) to start fall 2024.
- For the first time ever, Tribal leaders are invited to UConn President’s Inauguration and to offer an Honor song.
- Recognition of the Tribal Nations as critical entities in the State are, for the first time, included in the University's strategic plan.
- UConn Provost creates a new position of Special Advisor to the Provost on Native American and Indigenous Affairs.
- The University officially launches a new Tribal Education Initiative (TEI) with a focus on reimagining the Avery Point campus with the Tribal Nations in Connecticut and beyond.
- The inaugural meeting of the TEI is held on the Avery Point campus.