Certificate in Indigenous Research Methodologies & Methods
Total Credits: 29-30
Program Description
The Certificate in Indigenous Research Methodologies & Methods (IRM&M) is a collaborative educational training endeavor between the Salish Kootenai College Indigenous Research Center (IRC) and the Native American Studies Division (NASD). The Certificate in IRM&M is designed for individuals who aim to engage in research-based work that is directed and determined to be important with and by Indigenous communities. The Certificate provides a "value added" credential that is earned in addition to the student's profession, career, and/or industry training. Additionally, completion of this Certificate assists in the ethical preservation of cultural worldviews and traditional knowledges, and perpetuation of those that are deemed appropriate for sharing and application within and through public contexts. The Certificate aims to support individuals who wish to learn about and apply these ways of knowing, being, and doing in order to enhance their current understandings and pracitces of working with and being guided by Indigenous communities and learning from Indigenous scholars who are practitioners of IRM&M.
Career Opportunities
Students who complete the Certificate in Indigenous Research Methodologies & Methods will be prepared with entry-level Indigenous Research skills and conceptual understandings applicable in a wide range of fields and industries. Knowledge acquired through this Certificate includes analytical thinking and reasoning as well as the multidisciplinary tools necessary to better understand themselves as Indigenous researchers working within and for their communities. Earning this Certificate provides an opportunity for advancing career aspirations within Tribal Colleges and Universities, the private sector, nonprofit and NGO organizations, Tribal government systems, federal agencies, and other similar educational and research-based sites throughout the world.
Common career areas include, but are not limited to: tribal cultural and environmental preservation and conservation, historic preservation, grant-funded projects, tribal colleges and universities, mainstream colleges and universities, federal and Tribal law, anthropology fields, literary fields, and political science professions.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Certificate in Indigenous Research Methodologies and Methods Program students will be able to:
1. Distinguish and explain the similarities and differences between Indigenous Research Methodologies and Methods and their academic origins.
2. Apply the tenets of Indigenous research methodologies and methods by doing community-guided research in ethical and culturally appropriate ways.
3. Explain and demonstrate IRB processes and their relation to tribal review protocols.
4. Complete Human Subjects Protection Training such as the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).
5. Identify and contribute to the advancement of cultural perspectives within academic research and community- and place-based projects.
6. Develop and implement a community-guided research project that utilizes Indigenous Research Methodologies & Methods.
7. Meet SKC criteria for advanced coursework and academic programs related to use and integration of Indigenous perspectives.
Program Requirements
Students must achieve a GPA of 2.0 or higher in all IRM&M courses in order to receive the Certificate of IRM&M.
Certification Requirements
Fall First Year
| NASD400 | Introduction to Indigenous Research Methodologies & Methods | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Winter First Year
| ANTH201 | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| NASD442 | IRM&M Pre-Proposal Development | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7 |
Spring First Year
| NASD412 | Protection of Human Subjects in Indigenous Research | 2 |
| ELECTIVE | IRM&M Focus Elective | 4-5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6-7 |
Elective options are listed below.
Indigenous Perspective Electives
| NASD250 | History of Federal Indian Policy | 5 |
| SCID273 | Integrated Perspectives in Science for Educators 3 | 4 |
A different Indigenous Perspective Elective may be chosen with the approval of the Program Advisor.
Summer First Year
| EDCI509 | Integrated Perspectives in Mixed Method Action Research | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 2 |
Fall Second Year
| NASD411 | Implementing the Indigenous Paradigm in the Research Proposal | 5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 5 |
Winter Second Year
| NASD452 | Practicum I: Initiation of Application of IRM | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Spring Second Year
| NASD472 | Practicum II: Completion of Application | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 29-30