TCU’s recent adoption of a Native American Land Acknowledgment marks a significant step in the university’s efforts to be more inclusive and to develop mutually beneficial and respectful relationships with Native American nations and communities. Including the Land Acknowledgment on syllabi and websites and in university activities are becoming more common on our campus.

The Land Acknowledgment and the closely related Native American monument are powerful teaching tools, even for courses not necessarily considered part of the Native American Studies discipline. Beyond reading and posting the Land Acknowledgment, it can be used to stimulate robust discussions, quiet reflection and contemplation, and critical thinking and writing on course topics and ideas. Students and teachers in far-ranging disciplines such as Business, History, STEM, Fine Arts, Political Science, Education, Religion, Philosophy, Modern Languages, Medicine, Nursing, Social Work, English, Athletics, and more will find the acknowledgment and monument useful in learning and teaching their courses’ concepts.

This workshop will address ways that TCU’s Land Acknowledgment and Native American monument can be used in courses to advance the values embedded within them, provide entry points into course topics, and guide and shape student engagement with course concepts.

In this workshop, participants will:

• Explore the general nature and purpose of land acknowledgments and specific meanings reflected in TCU’s acknowledgment
• Consider particular examples of how TCU’s acknowledgment and monument have been implemented in courses
• Collaborate and work on ways that TCU’s acknowledgment and monument can be applied in their individual courses

By developing relevant applications to their courses and disciplines, participants will help make TCU’s Land Acknowledgment more than a written or read statement.