GEOG 268 - Indigenous Legal Traditions and Governance

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as AMST 268) This course introduces students to the policy histories of the United States (and to a lesser extent, Canada) pertaining to the legal category of persons sometimes called “Indians.” In the era of today, sometimes called the ‘self-determination’ era, many Tribal Nations within the United States are engaged in trust relationships with federal governments based on negotiated treaties and other acts of diplomacy. There are multiple meanings of the term ‘Indigenous’ both domestically and internationally, which we also discuss. Despite histories of attempted assimilation and dissolvement of Native cultures, languages, and spiritual traditions, there are persisting knowledge systems that inform Indigenous understandings of law, justice, governance, and relatedness. The course develops a “timeline” approach of native/newcomer relations in specific geographies starting in the Northeast, before the United States were formed. It examines multinational Indigenous world views and experiences as recorded in literature, film, artistic expressions, and other materials sourced directly from Native peoples. Leora Gansworth.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS