Legal Studies 460 - Legalization of Amer Indians

Federal Indian law has a long and complex history in the United States, which can be traced back to the first encounters between European colonizers and Indigenous inhabitants. Fundamental to Indian rights is an understanding of who is or who is not a "Native American"? Perhaps more than any other ethnic group in our country, the cultural identity of Native Americans is uniquely central to the federal body of Indian law. This course will focus on ways that Native American group identity has been constructed, subverted, and/or challenged by the application of federal Indian law. Case studies present the complexities inherent when judges, policymakers, and Native Americans attempt to interpret, codify and define a concept as subjective and amorphous as "identity". Although the course focuses on Native Americans, obvious parallels can be made to all "minority" groups, whether they're identified by race or ethnicity, gender, sexual persuasion, and/or political ideals. Students will read case law, treaties, and academic commentary, and will also hear Native American voices, explore popular cultural images of Native Americans, and use their own experiences to understand the complex intersection of culture and law.

This course is open to Senior, Junior, and Sophomore Legal Studies majors only.