Student Experience
Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at NYU
The Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) Minor is an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor that draws on research in many disciplines across the College, from the humanities to the social sciences and sciences. The minor engages students to understand and assess the unique relationships between Indigenous people and governments. Students in the minor learn through the contributions of Indigenous peoples to the global society, and to analyze the difficulties confronting Indigenous peoples and tribal nations. Graduating with a NAIS Minor provides students with foundational knowledge to assist them in finding innovative solutions to any number of challenges facing Indigenous populations worldwide.
Did you know that courses you take at NYU Tulsa and NYU Sydney may count towards your Minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies? Find out more here
NAIS Minor
The Turtle Island Themed Engagement Community (TEC) located in Greenwich Hall, is an upper year residence hall located in the West Village. The Turtle Island TEC is designed to promote and celebrate Indigenous cultures and communities! It is open to all NYU students regardless of Indigenous identities. All apartments include a full kitchen and comes fully furnished, and it is located only 2 blocks from Pier 40! Learn more here.
Turtle Island TEC
Graduate students can take courses across schools in Native American and Indigenous Studies. Examples of courses offered regularly include Indigenous Research, Formations of Native Studies, Indigenous Aesthetics and Methodologies from Abya Yala (Latin America), Indigenous Cinema, Decolonizing Museums, History and Theory of Ethnographic Film and Indigenous Media, Comparative Colonialisms: New Spain and Anglo-America, Topics in TV: Contemporary Indigenous Television , The Atlantic History Workshop at NYU, Heritage, Memory and Time, and more. New courses in graduate studies are being created for future terms.
Graduate students in NAIS, and Indigenous graduate students working in any field gain support through formal and informal programming at Center CIRCL. Mentoring workshops and activities are offered every year. Graduate students are invited to special events with guest speakers, and workshops with artists and cultural educators. A student-led writing group was established in early 2026, and students are working with other centers to host upcoming student conference and professional development opportunities.
Graduate Studies
Learn more about all of the NAIS offerings at NYU from the amazing team of Peer Advisors! Peer advisors hold office hours, visit classes, and give presentations about Center CIRCL Programming, student opportunities, the NAIS Minor, and Turtle Island TEC.
Peer Advisors also lead the Power Hours and help to lead the Center CIRCL Book Club.
Undergraduate students are eligible to apply to be Peer Advisors, a paid part-time position at Center CIRCL. Learn research and communication skills, and support other students.
Peer Advisors
NAISG provides Native American and Indigenous students and allies with a community and support system, not only here at NYU, but throughout New York City and beyond. NAISG aims to have an impact at NYU and throughout our community by sharing Native American/Indigenous cultures and traditions. NAISG works to generate interest in order to create a forum of awareness regarding Native American/Indigenous issues in gearing for resolutions. To sign up for the NAISG listserv: If you are part of the NYU community, browse for the Native Network through OrgSync.