Indigenous Studies (INST) 426

Overview

The primary objective of this course is to equip students with a theoretical and practical basis for understanding, assessing, and analysing the legal and political aspects of Aboriginal government and law. To accomplish this objective, the course relies on information from two very different governance systems: traditional Aboriginal government and the Canadian government.

Outline

INST 426 comprises ten units as follows:

Unit 1: Aboriginal Government and Law

Unit 2: Traditional Governance in Aboriginal Nations

Unit 3 Traditional Justice in Aboriginal Communities

Unit 4 Pressures on Traditional Governance and Law: The Royal Proclamation and the Treaties

Unit 5: Canadian Laws and Their Impact on Aboriginal Peoples

Unit 6: Contemporary Conflicts: Aboriginal Title

Unit 7: Contemporary Conflicts: Aboriginal Rights

Unit 8: Contemporary Conflicts: Treaties in the Courtroom

Unit 9: Self-Determination and Self-Government in a Contemporary Aboriginal Context

Unit 10: Conclusion

Evaluation

To receive credit for INST 426, you must achieve a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination, and a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent). The weighting of assignments is as follows:

Assignment 1	Assignment 2	Midterm Take Home Exam	Final Exam	Total
10%	40%	20%	30%	100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.