by Daniel Kotzin and McKinzie Thompson
Like many History Departments at small liberal arts colleges, the course offerings at William Jewell College where I teach are based on a variety of factors, including the number of faculty in the department and student interest. What can history faculty do when a student is interested in a historical subject that is not covered by any course offerings in the course catalog? The most common way of addressing this issue is to offer an independent study. This is what I suggested to McKinzie Thompson when she shared with me her interest in Native American history. McKinzie, a sophomore at the time, conveyed her long-term plan to attend either law school or graduate school with a focus on Native American experiences. Learning that she was thinking about a career in academia, I offered to co-create an opportunity that would become not only an independent study but an opportunity for her to learn the process of course development and to practice some teaching fundamentals.
Specifically, I thought about ways that would assist McKinzie in her career choices. As she expressed uncertainty about becoming a college professor, I reflected on the ways in which this independent study might be able to guide her in that decision-making process, beyond the content of learning more about Native America history. I proposed to McKinzie that the independent study have two parts. In the first half of the semester, we would focus on the content of Native American history, concentrating on specific topics. Then, in the second half of the semester, she would begin the work of creating an actual course on Native American history. The idea was that she would write up a draft proposal based on templates faculty use for submitting new course proposals, and I would revise the draft and submit it. We agreed that, if the course is approved, the History Department would offer the course for the first time during McKinzie’s senior year – I will be the instructor of record, and McKinzie will be the teaching assistant, and take a History internship so she will receive course credit for being a teaching assistant. My goal for McKinzie is that by teaching a course she designed, she would have an experience that would help inform her decision on whether or not to become a college history professor.
Since McKinze was specifically interested in the history of Native Americans in the American Midwest during the nineteenth century, we designed the course with that region and time period in mind. Before the semester began, I sent McKinzie a reading list for her to review, we made some edits, and then had a revised list by the time the semester began. During the semester, we also made some changes. Below is the finalized reading list that also included one documentary and one website exhibition:
Topic 1: The Cherokees and Removal
Pommersheim, Frank. Broken Landscape: Indians, Indian Tribes, and the Constitution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Perdue, Theda, and Green, Michael D. The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. New York, Viking, 2007.
Saunt, Claudio. Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory. New York: W.W. Norton, 2021.
Topic 2: Native Americans in the Great Plains
“Dakota Conflict,” PBS (documentary film)
The U.S. Dakota War of 1862, Minnesota Historical Society
Hamalainen, Pekka. Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2020.
Hansen, Karen V. Encounter on the Great Plains: Scandinavian Settlers and the Dispossession of Dakota Indians, 1890-1920. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Lomanwaima, K. Tsianina. They Called It Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.
Ostler, Jeffrey. The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Topic 3: Books for consideration for the course
Calloway, Colin G. First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018. 6th Edition.
Weaver, Jace, and Laura Adams Weaver. Red Clay: Cherokee Removal and the Meaning of Sovereignty (Reacting to the Past). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2022.
During the semester, McKinzie and I met once a week for an hour. In the first half of the semester, McKinzie submitted written work and an agenda for our discussion the day before our session. Some weeks she submitted a critical book review of the assigned text. McKinzie also wrote three analytical papers where she incorporated the readings as she addressed a historical question she developed about a specific Native American group – one on the Cherokees, one on the Dakota, and one on the Lakota. Our weekly discussions consisted of two components modelled after the Oxford tutorial system, which is part of the Oxbridge Program at William Jewell College. I provided feedback on McKinzie’s writing, then she took over the discussion, focusing on what she found most interesting or important. One result of this dynamic is McKinzie ended up teaching me a lot about Native American history!
For the latter part of the semester, we focused on developing the course. McKinzie worked on a course description, course objectives, and an outline of course topics for the future course we have titled The Cherokee and Lakota People. She also devised several sample assignments. This fall I will be submitting the course for faculty approval, and my hope and plan is that the course will be in the college catalog for the 2024-25 academic year so McKinzie can be the teaching assistant for it when she is a senior.
History undergraduates like McKinzie, who are considering going to graduate school in history, generally have this interest because of their passion for the discipline. They want to build on their undergraduate learning experience with a more in-depth study of specific historical topics and develop their historical research skills. Unless they are in an Education program, few ever have the opportunity actually teach or engage in the process of course design before applying to graduate school. My proposition to McKinzie, and any student struggling to decide whether to apply to a Ph.D. History program, is that there is enormous value in having this experience, as it can function as an important indicator that can help in the career decision-making process. McKinzie has still not decided between law school and graduate school in history, but when she does, her experience in course design and being a teaching assistant will provide her with invaluable information about herself that will play an important role in her decision.
As Chair of the History Department, I had the authority and the privilege to offer this ambitious and experimental opportunity to my student. I encourage faculty, no matter their position within their department, to consider developing versions of what I described here. Should faculty need chair approval, an argument could be made that such an endeavor will help expand the department’s course offerings. But more than assisting with departmental needs, this type of project can be enormously beneficial to the student. Even if the student would not be able to be a teaching assistant for the course once it is developed, it will offer an experience to the student that they could not have in the classroom or the typical independent study. Participating in course design provides a perspective on history that few students are able to peer into and explore. Course design is about making choices, choices about what content to include and what to not include, choices about pedagogy, and choices about what skills to focus on. Generally, only the designer is aware of these choices, not the students in the classroom. By being involved in course design, therefore, the student begins to see history in a new way. That being said, this type of learning experience is not for every student. I saw great possibilities in this endeavor because I believed McKinzie had the intellectual curiosity and self-directedness to thrive in this type of learning environment . But I also went into it with humility, for I had no idea how it would turn out. I offer the reader McKinzie’s perspective on the actual experience…..
Dr. Kotzin approached me one day after he became aware of my interest in Native American history. This was always a topic I wanted to explore in-depth, but at the time there were no classes at William Jewell College on Native American history. While talking to Dr. Kotzin, I revealed how I have contemplated potentially becoming a professor in the future. While the independent study focused on what goes into being a professor, I also was able to explore a topic of history I was interested in. This allowed me to be fully engaged and motivated throughout the entirety of the independent study and deepen my knowledge on a topic I was passionate about.
The independent study that emerged out of this initial discussion enabled me to explore a historical topic that I am passionate about and learn what it takes for a professor to develop a course. I saw this course as an opportunity to gain insight into what truly goes into being a professor, which I believed would help me narrow down my career path options. Throughout this course, I developed an understanding of how much research, planning, and organization go into being a professor.
Throughout this course, I had to tackle many different new academic tasks. I had to write critical book reviews, evaluate websites and documentaries, lead one-on-one discussions with my professor, and help develop a course. These duties were quite new and pulled me out of my comfort zone, especially at first. While trying to accomplish the assignments, I found myself often struggling to figure out how to excel at something completely new, which was a first for me. I had to quickly learn that it is okay to reach out for help as a student. With no other students in the class, I had to bring questions straight to my professor. While at first, I was uncomfortable with continually reaching out for help on my academics, it overall made me a better communicator and student. As the course went on, I began to develop a better understanding of how to excel at these new tasks and begin to see improvement in my work but knew where to go if I ever needed help.
Throughout the course, I took on a new task as a student by creating the agenda for the class period and leading the discussion. In the past, I had always been the one listening and piecing together information to grow my knowledge. Never before had I led a full discussion, and I suddenly realized just how hard it is! The week before the discussion, I read a full book relating to Native American history, and then I was tasked with leading a discussion over the material. I quickly realized how difficult it can be to pick which information gets discussed in class and which doesn’t. Furthermore, I also learned how to explain material in a way so that someone who did not read the same material as me can fully understand. While this was a unique challenge, I quickly got better at the assignment and realized I quite enjoyed this part of the process!
Throughout the course, I gained many unique takeaways on Native American history and culture. All the Indigenous peoples I read about (the Cherokee, Lakota, and Dakota) lived in different regions and had different cultures and traditions. Despite this, all of them faced similar struggles like forced removal and assimilation. During the course, I began to analyze the Native American education I had while growing up. I realized, from my perspective, Native American education tends to group almost all if– not all– Native American groups together. This grouping takes away the different tribes’ individuality and allows many people to grow up assuming all Native American peoples are very similar, which is false.
Furthermore, I learned how strong and enduring the Cherokee, Lakota, and Dakota peoples were. All the tribes faced atrocities committed against them by the United States government. Despite this, all three Indigenous groups fought against the US government for their land, rights, and culture. Their fight to maintain their autonomy is truly empowering, and an important part of history that should be focused on in the classroom.
While this course helped me gain a better understanding of Native American history and what goes into being a professor, I learned other important lessons. This independent study pushed me to become proficient at writing, critical thinking, and time management. Along with further developing my skills, this course raised my confidence level as a student. While being pushed out of my comfort zone, I realized I was able to accomplish more academically than I originally thought I was capable of. I saw a lot of progress in my abilities and was surprised at my progress as a student. I was proud of all the hard work I put into this course and felt it was truly a rewarding experience.
Being a teacher’s assistant in this course my senior year will be an even more rewarding experience. This opportunity will allow me to see the full impact of my independent study on William Jewell College, while further exploring my career options. By being a teacher’s assistant, I will hopefully be able to help other students become passionate about my individual historical interest. I am super excited to see the impact this course will have on my peers and the school itself and believe that this opportunity will allow me to truly feel I have made an impact during my time at William Jewell College.
Featured Image: “Dakota Delegation, ca. 1871-1907”
Clio and the Contemporary 
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