The University of Michigan has for decades been a forceful advocate for diversity and interdisciplinary work: both are hallmarks of our faculty. Most members of Native American Studies have multiple appointments and serve on the faculty of more than one department. Joseph Gone, for example, is in the Psychology Department as well as in American Culture. Philip Deloria, to take another example, is in both the History Department and American Culture. Gregory Dowd: History and American Culture. Tiya Miles: DAAS, History, and American Culture. Gustavo Verdesio: Romance Languages and Literatures and American Culture. Michael Witgen: History and American Culture. Barbra Meek, an Anthropologist, has an affiliation with American Culture as a faculty associate.
For graduate students, this means expanded options. There are, generally, two ways to consider working with each of our faculty members. One can apply to either (or both!) of the faculty member’s departments. A student wishing to work most closely with Professor Witgen, for example, might apply to the History Department and/or American Culture. In either case, there is ample opportunity to work with and participate in conversation with the other faculty members in Native American Studies. Consult the Graduate Curriculum of each department to help make this decision.
There are extraordinary resources at the University of Michigan for the graduate researcher. Apart from the excellent main campus libraries, there are several specialized libraries. On the main campus, for example, we have the William L. Clements Library, with its stunning collections of books, manuscripts, maps, music and photographs. This is one of the best libraries anywhere for manuscript work on eastern North American Indians. On the north campus, there is the Bentley Historical Library, with its extensive “Michigan Historical Collections,” which contains much material on Native Americans in the state and the territory. The Gerald R. Ford Library, also on north campus and run by the National Archives, contains information on Native American issues in the 1970's.
Application for graduate study is made to the Department of American Culture within the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Potential applicants are welcome to contact individual faculty to explore feasibility of topics of interest.