AMST 311
Development of American Indian Law & Policy Fall 2016
Division II Exploring Diversity Initiative
Cross-listed HIST 368
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

In this course, we will conceptualize Native peoples as nations, not merely racial/ethnic minorities. Students will learn about the unique legal landscape in Indian Country by charting the historical development of tribal governments and the ever-changing body of U.S. law and policy that regulates Indian affairs. We begin by studying Indigenous legal traditions, the European doctrine of discovery, and diplomatic relations between Native nations and European empires. We then shift our focus to treaty-making, the constitutional foundations of federal Indian law, 19th century U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and the growth of the federal bureaucracy in Indian Country. The course devotes considerable attention to the expansion of tribal governmental authority during the 20th century, the contemporary relationship between Indian tribes and the federal/state governments, and the role of federal Indian law as both a tool of U.S. colonial domination and a mechanism for protecting the interests of Indigenous communities. No prior background in law or Native American history is required.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 25
Expected: 20
Class#: 1054
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based upon short papers, group work, and in-class essay exams
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: American Studies majors and History majors
Distributions: Division II Exploring Diversity Initiative
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
HIST 368 Division II AMST 311 Division II
Attributes: AMST Comp Studies in Race, Ethnicity, Diaspora
AMST Critical and Cultural Theory Electives
HIST Group F Electives - U.S. + Canada
JLST Interdepartmental Electives

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