Native American and Indigenous Studies

Students in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Community

This community is full for fall 2023.

What is the Native American and Indigenous Studies Community?

The Native American and Indigenous Studies Academic Residential Community (NAIS ARC) provides a strong residential academic cohort support system for students’ academic and social needs and connections to community and cultural traditions. Located adjacent to the Many Nations Longhouse—the epicenter of Indigenous culture, community, and intellectual life on campus—NAIS ARC students will live collectively in Global Scholars Hall with a NAIS ARC alumni resident assistant (RA) who will act as a peer mentor and assist students in their success. Academically, NAIS ARC students will attend one large lecture course and a smaller ARC-specific seminar in Native American and Indigenous Studies each term.

Why should I choose to live in this community?

From the annual welcome dinner of students and families in the Many Nations Longhouse to the end-of-the-year research symposium and celebration, students will form strong relationships with faculty, staff, and community members both inside and outside the classroom. There will also be opportunities for collaborations with other ARCs and student groups who share similar goals and connections, including the Native American Student Union and the Many Nations Longhouse community. The combination of curricular and cocurricular programming—grounded in guiding NAIS principles of sovereignty, self-determination, respect, reciprocity, responsibility, accountability, and community—is designed to encourage academic, social, and cultural growth among students and scholars with a goal of supporting Indigenous nations and nurturing both individual and community empowerment.

What classes will we take?

  • Three 1-credit seminars restricted to ARC residents (one each term)
  • Three 4-credit cocurricular lecture classes in Native American and Indigenous studies (one each term)
  • 1 credit of service learning in support of the Native American Student Union’s Mother’s Day Powwow (spring term)

Upon successful completion of this coursework, students will have acquired more than half of the 28 credits required for the interdisciplinary minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies.

In both academic and cocurricular work, students will develop extensive grounding in Indigenous history and culture as well as nuanced understandings of tribal sovereignty, Indigenous nationhood, settler colonialism, and the diversity and beauty of contemporary Indigenous lives and experiences. 

In addition to active participation in lectures and seminars, NAIS ARC students are also required to meet regularly with NAIS faculty and advisers, and are encouraged to attend NAIS-related lectures, symposia, and programs; to participate in the Native American Student Union and the Many Nations Longhouse communities; to take advantage of academic and professional development workshops and seminars; to design and facilitate programming and community-building events of their own; and to get involved in other organizations and initiatives on campus.

Location

Residence Hall: Global Scholars Hall. Students living in this community will select roommates who are also in the community.

Please note that communities can be moved to different residence hall buildings if the size or need of the community changes.

Students in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Community

For more information, contact naisarc@uoregon.edu.

Who is eligible and how do I apply?

Though primarily formed to serve and support Indigenous students and their families and communities across their first year at the University of Oregon, the NAIS ARC welcomes all students, regardless of background, who are committed to learning about and serving Indigenous peoples of Oregon, the US, and the world.

  1. Register for University Housing and select the community you prefer in the "Community Preference" section.
  2. Fill out the supplemental questions on your housing application. The program director will be in communication with you over the summer to remind you to fill out the form and determine class placement and details.

Explore other Community Options