AIS 490

Fall 2026 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Aug 24-Dec 9

Credit: 3 OR 4 hours.

3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Any course in American Indian Studies; junior standing; or consent of instructor.

Section Status updates every 10 minutes.
AIS 490 class schedule data for fall 2026
Status CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
1
53438
Lecture-Discussion
G1
3:00PM -5:00PM
W
Location Pending
Ryan Burchfield, R
Availability:
Open
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
08/24/26-12/09/26
Credit:
4 hours
Section Title:
Soundscapes and (Stereo) types
Section Info:
Soundscapes and (Stereo)types Sound surrounds us every day in every way. It connects us and transports us, and it has no boundaries. We are immersed in sound, what Jodi Byrd calls the “cacophonies of colonialism,” and yet we often never think about it. How it shapes how we see the world and how the world understands us in an audible sense. The soundscape holds an interesting position in that it can locate itself within materiality and is reliant on its interdependencies—it is relational. Music and sound are about connection—who makes it, who hears it, what it says, what it makes you feel, and perhaps most importantly, why are you listening to it. These questions are just a few of the reasons that music and sound can be seen to connect across borders of culture, race, language, and perspective. It is important to center an Ethnic and Indigenous studies approach because of the implications of representation and because sound is a constant, something that becomes part of the background of an everyday lived existence and thus holds the power to reiterate ethnic stereotypes, or to break apart those stereotypes. Perhaps it’s important to note the “stereo” in the term stereotype, which automatically infers that sound, plays a role in creating what are often culturally and sonically bounded generalizations. If sound can play this role, in what Philip Deloria calls the “sound of Indian,” then transversely it can also play a role in rupturing these sonic stereotypes. This course will use multiple modalities to think through the term soundscape while privileging an Indigenous and Ethnic Studies approach. For example, we will use podcasts like, The Indigenous Setlist, books like Dylan Robinson’s Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies and/or Jennifer Lynn Stoever’s The Sonic Color Line: Race & the Cultural Politics of Listening, and films and tv shows like Reservation Dogs, Frybread Face and Me (2023) dir. Billy Luther as well as many short films to discuss how soundscape effects how we hear and understand the world sonically. This course is a joint undergrad and graduate course. Undergraduates should have taken a previous AIS course since this course will start with the assumption that you are familiar with basic Indigenous Studies terms. If you would like to take the course but have not had a previous AIS course, please feel free to reach out to me. Please contact, Renata Ryan Burchfield at rlr2@illinois.edu if you have any questions.
4
72023
Lecture-Discussion
G4
11:00AM -12:20PM
TR
115 Spurlock Museum
Sutton, E
Availability:
CrossListOpen (Restricted)
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
08/24/26-12/09/26
Credit:
4 hours
Section Title:
Native American Collaborations
Section Info:
Topics in Cultural Heritage, Collection Management & Preservation: This course will be held at Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, in Knight Auditorium. Collaborating with Native American Communities, Libraries, Archives, and Museums: Introduces students to the history, goals, and missions of North American Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Provides an overview of engagement theory and practice in building mutually beneficial relationships of trust with communities that have experienced historic trauma and systematic oppression while also celebrating their resilience and persistence. The course is structured to include classroom discussions, guest speakers, individual and group “labs” and attendance at events relevant to the course topic. For more information about this major, please visit: http://go.ischool.illinois.edu/BSIS. Questions may be sent to bsis-advising@illinois.edu.
Restriction(s):
Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
1
53437
Lecture-Discussion
UG
3:00PM -5:00PM
W
1018 Literatures, Cultures, & Ling
Ryan Burchfield, R
Availability:
Open
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
08/24/26-12/09/26
Credit:
3 hours
Section Title:
Soundscapes and (Stereo) types
Section Info:
Soundscapes and (Stereo)types Sound surrounds us every day in every way. It connects us and transports us, and it has no boundaries. We are immersed in sound, what Jodi Byrd calls the “cacophonies of colonialism,” and yet we often never think about it. How it shapes how we see the world and how the world understands us in an audible sense. The soundscape holds an interesting position in that it can locate itself within materiality and is reliant on its interdependencies—it is relational. Music and sound are about connection—who makes it, who hears it, what it says, what it makes you feel, and perhaps most importantly, why are you listening to it. These questions are just a few of the reasons that music and sound can be seen to connect across borders of culture, race, language, and perspective. It is important to center an Ethnic and Indigenous studies approach because of the implications of representation and because sound is a constant, something that becomes part of the background of an everyday lived existence and thus holds the power to reiterate ethnic stereotypes, or to break apart those stereotypes. Perhaps it’s important to note the “stereo” in the term stereotype, which automatically infers that sound, plays a role in creating what are often culturally and sonically bounded generalizations. If sound can play this role, in what Philip Deloria calls the “sound of Indian,” then transversely it can also play a role in rupturing these sonic stereotypes. This course will use multiple modalities to think through the term soundscape while privileging an Indigenous and Ethnic Studies approach. For example, we will use podcasts like, The Indigenous Setlist, books like Dylan Robinson’s Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies and/or Jennifer Lynn Stoever’s The Sonic Color Line: Race & the Cultural Politics of Listening, and films and tv shows like Reservation Dogs, Frybread Face and Me (2023) dir. Billy Luther as well as many short films to discuss how soundscape effects how we hear and understand the world sonically. This course is a joint undergrad and graduate course. Undergraduates should have taken a previous AIS course since this course will start with the assumption that you are familiar with basic Indigenous Studies terms. If you would like to take the course but have not had a previous AIS course, please feel free to reach out to me. Please contact, Renata Ryan Burchfield at rlr2@illinois.edu if you have any questions.
4
72022
Lecture-Discussion
UG3
11:00AM -12:20PM
TR
115 Spurlock Museum
Sutton, E
Availability:
CrossListOpen (Restricted)
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
08/24/26-12/09/26
Credit:
3 hours
Section Title:
Native American Collaborations
Section Info:
Topics in Cultural Heritage, Collection Management & Preservation: This course will be held at Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, in Knight Auditorium. Collaborating with Native American Communities, Libraries, Archives, and Museums: Introduces students to the history, goals, and missions of North American Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Provides an overview of engagement theory and practice in building mutually beneficial relationships of trust with communities that have experienced historic trauma and systematic oppression while also celebrating their resilience and persistence. The course is structured to include classroom discussions, guest speakers, individual and group “labs” and attendance at events relevant to the course topic. For more information about this major, please visit: http://go.ischool.illinois.edu/BSIS. Questions may be sent to bsis-advising@illinois.edu.
Restriction(s):
Not intended for students with Freshman or Sophomore class standing. Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
COURSE EXPLORER
Email: Course Explorer Feedback

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR | 901 W. Illinois Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801

Site developed by: Technology Services at Illinois | UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
1102 Digital Computer Laboratory | MC-256 | Urbana, IL 61801 | phone 217-244-7000