Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: Any Day Take-Home

This course is an introduction to federal Indian law, the body of law recognizing and limiting the sovereignty of tribal governments. The course covers the origins of this law, founded in the conflict between colonialism, constitutionalism, and tribal resilience, as well as the modern doctrines governing tribal, federal, and state jurisdiction, the scope of federal power, equal protection, statutory and treaty interpretation, and the borders of Indian country. The course includes a comparative examination of the legal systems and traditions of federally-recognized Indian tribes and traditional Indigenous justice and introduces the work of international Indigenous peoples to vindicate their human rights. Students will gain a critical understanding of the contemporary challenges facing Native peoples, and the directions courts, tribes, Congress, and International entities may take in addressing them.