Info night for indigenous knowledge course and field study

An information night for the spring semester course “Exploring Indigenous Ways of Knowing in the North American Context” and Maymester field study (CED 497B and 497C) will be held on Thursday, November 7, at 5:30 p.m., in 113 Thomas Building. This program offers students an opportunity to learn about the history, culture and ways of life of the Red Lake, Leech Lake and White Earth Ojibwe Nations in northern Minnesota through an unforgettable, immersive field study experience.

The spring class will prepare students for intensive engagement with Ojibwe culture and is a prerequisite for the Maymester field study. Students will be introduced to library resources in indigenous knowledge, including primary source materials on Native American culture and history. The class will also make a field trip in March to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The course will be led by Bruce Martin, an adjunct instructor for Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, who grew up along the northernmost point of the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota. Martin has led several seminars to Ojibwe country in the United States and Canada. It will be co-taught by Danna Jayne Seballos, assistant director of the Penn State World in Conversation Project, and Nonny Schlotzhauer, social sciences librarian and subject specialist for anthropology and psychology.

The field study program is tentatively scheduled for May 11 to 27. Students will stay at Bemidji State University and with host families in the Red Lake and Leech Lake Nations. During this time, students will take an active part in activities that are not generally open to visitors and have the opportunity to reflect orally and in writing on their experiences.

Students from all Penn State campuses are encouraged to apply. Virtual attendance at the spring course will be available. For more information and for details on how to register, go to icik.psu.edu/psul/icik/CED497.html. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation for the information night, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Helen Sheehy, 814-863-1347/ hms2@psu.edu, in advance of your participation.