Sandia Mountains, New Mexico

Rebuilding Native Nations: An Introduction

This course examines the development challenges faced by contemporary Native nations. Utilizing numerous case studies and extensive research on what is working and what is not working to promote the social, political, cultural and economic strengthening of American Indian nations, the course emphasizes themes applicable to community development and nation rebuilding worldwide. Historical and relevant federal Indian policy and case law are used as background material, but the course emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the “nation building revolution” underway in Indian Country. Additional emphasis is placed on how tribal initiatives can conflict with federal case law, state jurisdiction, and federal policies and politics.

• What is working, and what is not working, to promote the social, political, cultural and economic strengthening of Native nations and Indigenous governance?  
• While the primary focus of the course is on the American Indian experience, what principles of nation building are applicable to Indigenous peoples worldwide? 
• In what ways have American Indian policy and case law promoted and impeded tribal self-governance? 
• What conflicts between federal, state, and local governments can arise from tribal assertions of self-governance? 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will better understand:

• What governance is, and why it is important
• The relationship — and differences — between self-determination and governance, and the challenges they present
• The breadth and diversity of traditional Indigenous governance systems
• How colonial policies impacted Indigenous governance and governments, and the contemporary legacies of those policies
• The fundamental difference between self-administration and self-governance
• How Native nations are remaking their tools of governance

Course Format

Students will meet at the National Indian Programs Training Center for three consecutive mornings in Albuquerque, NM. Required readings and course homework will be assigned during the afternoons.

Readings & Syllabus

Attendance & Participation

Registration