Native American Law and Politics

Catalog description

This course provides for a study of Native American law and politics, using court cases, treaties, federal statutes and history to do so. The course will begin with early history going back to before independence from Britain, before moving on to the early treaty era, the removal era, westward expansion, the allotment era, Indian Reorganization Act, the termination era, and the self-determination era. In moving to the contemporary Native America, the course examines treaties, the U.S. Constitution, recognition of nations, trust doctrine, Indian title, diminishment, criminal and civil jurisdiction, taxation, sovereign immunity, natural resources, religion, tribal courts, and diversity. The course also looks specifically at important pieces of legislation and their interpretation, including the Indian Civil Rights Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the Dawes Act. Students will gain knowledge on critical aspects of Native American law, the relationship between federal and state government with tribes, the role of Congress and the Supreme Court, tribal sovereignty over time, and modern issues faced in Indian country today. This course will also consider voting patterns of Native Americans, as well as voting rights issues involving them.