CAST 385 - Indigenous Nations, Treaty Rights, and the Great Lakes

FC SSCI CD

4 credits
This course examines the environmental history and contemporary environmental issues of the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada in the context of Indigenous treaty rights, nationhood, and ecological knowledge. We will focus on the legal and political contests over land and resources such as water, fish and game, timber, and rice, along with the implications of environmental degradation and climate crisis. The course centers struggles for Indigenous sovereignty as central to understanding the history and contemporary issues surrounding the Great Lakes by tracking contests over treaty rights, tribal economic development, inter-tribal organizing, education and the implementation of traditional ecological knowledge, and environmental activism. Field trip(s) required.

Prerequisites: ENVS 201.

Community-Based Learning Sustainability
This course is cross-listed with ENVS-385