Faculty
The Native American Studies (NAS) Program at West Virginia University is led by an interdisciplinary committee of award-winning faculty, staff, and students who share a strong interest in both the historical and contemporary culture of Native peoples. Our faculty are committed to promoting a greater understanding and respect for the living legacy of Native America. The Committee is essential to planning and administering the overall Program. Those who teach Native American Studies courses at WVU come from diverse academic departments within the University and provide a variety of courses. The Committee gathers for monthly meetings and as subcommittees for special project planning. Faculty retreats offer committee members the chance to collectively define program priorities, share teaching philosophies and network in an informal setting.
To illustrate the diversity of our NAS faculty, Dr. Ellesa Clay High is an Associate Professor of English and teaches “Literature of Native America,” and “Topics in Native American Literature: the Hollywood Indian,” while art professor Janet Snyder has taught “Native American Art History.” “Introduction to Native American Studies” is taught by Coordinator Bonnie M. Brown, Joe Candillo, and by Dr. Carol Markstrom, who has also taught “Native American Child and Family Studies.” Courses on American Indian history have been taught by Dr. Richard Grimes of WVU’s History faculty, Dr. Cari Carpenter, an English professor, teaches “Native American Women Writers” and “Multiethnic Literature: Captivity and Border Crossing.” Psychology Professor Dr. Dan McNeil teaches courses on multicultural issues, including those involving American Indians and Alaska Natives. An online history course, “Sacred Spaces,” and the short course, “History of the Moundbuilders,” are among the other courses our students may choose from. In addition, courses with relevant content are offered in sociology and anthropology, communication studies, gerontology, health sciences, political science, and so on.
NAS Students
Like the faculty in our Program, our students are also diverse in their academic orientation. Some are completing a minor in Native American Studies to complement their major coursework or as one of the three concentrations in their Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) bachelor’s degree. Others take NAS courses as electives to supplement their study at either the undergraduate or graduate level—some of our courses fulfill university-wide general education requirements. Many students have earned University credit for completing faculty-supervised independent study work and/or professional field experience within the Native American Studies Program. WVU Native American Studies minors have applied their NAS education in a variety of successful professional roles, such as educators, artists, researchers, interpreters at historical sites, engineers, legal consultants, water resource specialists, and so on. Our NAS alumni and other interested students are encouraged to remain in contact with the Program and receive our newsletter and announcements of special events.