History of Federal Indian Law and Policy

“History of Federal Indian Law & Policy” is a 4-credit course that will introduce students to the key components of the United States federal government’s laws and policies that relate specifically to American Indians and the historical development of the conceptual framework of said laws and policies. Students can expect to cover parts of American colonial history to gain context about the political and legal systems that the United States inherited from other colonial powers; the impacts of Westward expansion on federal Indian law and policy; the changing political eras of Indian Reorganization, Termination, and Self-Determination; and the basic legal concepts that underpin modern government-to-government relationships between Tribes and the United States. All students are welcome and no prior knowledge is necessary. This course is being offered hybrid, both in-person and remotely. Students who want to participate remotely (with no in-person component) need to contact the faculty.

Credit equivalencies are: 2 History: Native American and 2 Federal Indian Policy.