Faculty in American Indian Studies

American Indian Studies is an interdisciplinary program, taught by instructors from across the UMM faculty with a strong passion for the topic, including:

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Kent Blansett
Ph.D. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
B.A. University of Missouri, Columbia
Office: Camden 101
Phone: 320-589-6187
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Areas of expertise:

American Indian History
Urban American History
History of the West
Modern American History
Environmental History

Courses Taught:
History 3251: American Indians and the United States (no prerequisites necessary)
History 3359: Native Strategies for Survival, 1880-1930 (no prerequisites necessary)

Becca Gercken Assistant Professor of English Ph.D., University of Miami Office: 204 Humanities Phone: (320) 589-6259 Areas of expertise: American Indian literature and film Federal Indian Policy	E-mail Web site

Current Areas of Inquiry: I study representations of American Indian identity, not only those produced by American Indian writers and filmmakers, but also those produced by the dominant culture and those contained within Federal Indian Policy. Thus my work includes literature, film, television, and government documents.

Current Project: I am currently working with a Northern Cheyenne ledger book produced in the late 19th century. The ledger, which contains scenes of Northern Cheyenne warriors in conflict with white settlers, the cavalry, and other Indians tribes, has been defaced and altered by unknown persons. My work focuses on a visual-rhetorical analysis of the original history and the changes made to it.

What I like best about teaching at Morris is that I can have students every semester for 4 years and see them grow intellectually and personally. It is also important to me that I teach at a school with so many Indian students.