Not Just Numbers: Navigating Tribal Nations, the Federal/Tribal relationship, and Population…

Catalog description

“I am Hopi, and I count!” This 2020 Decennial Census slogan rang through Indian Country in the years leading up to the 2020 count. Advocates from national native organizations encouraged tribal citizens to respond to the decennial census and include the American Indian/ Alaska Native racial classification. Who are the Tribal Nations? Why was increasing response to the 2020 Decennial Census important? What is the difference between tribal ancestry, tribal enrollment, the American Indian/ Alaska Native racial classification, and Tribal Nations? Why did people have to be encouraged to identify the American Indian/ Alaska Native racial classification? Why does this even matter? Whether your knowledge of the Tribal Nations and indigenous peoples is limited or vast, everyone in this course will gain a richer understanding of the Tribal Nations and indigenous peoples of the United States in the 21st Century. This course provides a contextual background to the Tribal Nations in the current era and an introductory exploration of American Indian/ Alaska Native population data and research in the United States. You will be introduced to different ways of defining/measuring the populations, data collections (barriers and limitations), how to verify interpretation of data, and even how to download data from federal public sources. Students will learn a high-level overview of the relationships between the Tribal Nations and the federal government, examine how different fields—such as policy, journalism, and social/biomedical research—utilize data, and learn to critically assess the strengths and limitations of various data sources or interpretations.