3.00 Credits
This course provides the student with a substantial overview of the unique legal and political system of governance between the United States federal government and the American Indian tribal nations of this country. To understand this very complex relationship, the student will be provided with the historical development of this body of law from early European contact to the present, in the context of the differing societal structures of the cultures at hand. The role of the United States Congress and the United States Supreme Court in creating and substaining this "government-to-government" relationship will be highlighted, along with issues of sovereignty, jurisdiction, treaty-making, state-tribal relationships, economic development, self-determination, cultural sustainability, and the United States Constitution. The student will critically apply this knowledge to the discussion and formulation of past, present, and future considerations. (3 lect.) SOC