S. Native American Law

This course is aimed at a comprehensive understanding of Native American law and the history that has formed this law. Native American Law is, in a sense, the most all-encompassing of any field of law, as it necessarily entails the study of the Constitution, federalism and the federal system, international law, the full span of American (and colonial) legal and political history, criminal and civil law and jurisdiction, etc. Due in large part to its all-encompassing nature, Native American Law, even at the highest federal level, has had and continues to have direct. immediate, and long-lasting impact on the lives of Native people in this country. The course will explore the divisions and contentions among Tribal, federal and state governments, and unravel the coded language of colonialism by delving into the history of Native Peoples prior to colonization, understanding the intricacies of Tribal sovereignty, dissecting landmark Federal "Indian law" cases, and going "behind the scenes" of these cases to examine the lives of the people and Native communities at the heart of pivotal Supreme Court cases.

The format of the class is an interactive seminar based on assigned readings, and paper on a topic of the student's choosing done under the professor's guidance after submission of a first draft.