AP/SOSC 4351 6.00

 Honours Seminar: Indigenous Peoples And Law

This course looks at the role of law in the lives of Indigenous people in Canada from at least three intersecting perspectives. One focus of the course examines the way in which Indigenous people view law and order maintenance both historically and in a contemporary sense. Another focus looks at the way in which law has been used by the state to take away the rights of Indigenous people. The third lens is one that sees the how these two perspectives try to work themselves out today. To what extent can the Canadian state recognize the need for self-determination for Indigenous people within a constitutional framework that has only recently recognized rights of Indigenous people? How can the parties negotiate these relationships? What is the role of the courts in these cases? Comparisons will be made with the situations of Indigenous people in other countries such as the United States and Australia.