Indigenous Politics and Policy in the United States

Undergraduate / Graduate

This seminar examines the political institutions and legal frameworks, and policy environments that structure relations between Indigenous nations and the U.S. government. More than 570 federally recognized Indigenous nations, each with distinct governance systems and legal agreements, have interacted with federal and state authorities through policies governing land, jurisdiction, citizenship, and public administration-from allotment, relocation, and civil rights-era legislation to contemporary regulatory and administrative regimes. The course analyzes how authority is allocated and exercised across policy domains including land and resource management, food and subsistence systems, climate policy, healthcare, education, and public safety. The course is discussion-based and interactive. Students will develop a case study of an Indigenous nation or group in the United States using their preferred research method(s), including qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, or theoretical approaches. Course materials introduce approaches to research with and about Indigenous peoples-including participatory research, Indigenous data governance, integrated assessment modeling, and institutional review processes-while examining how research practices interact with political authority and policy design. Students leave with a substantive understanding of Indigenous politics and policy and experience applying political analysis to real institutional settings.