American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Given the program goal of educating students who would have a positive impact on Indian communities, our planning for the Master's program in American Indian Studies initially included an applied program component. This component was viewed as a terminal M.A., to include a one-year internship with a community organization in lieu of the Master's thesis. As the planning for the applied program progressed, it appeared to become a contrived notion, external to our planning goals of providing a curriculum largely focused upon the acquisition of research skills.