HLS 3019: Constitutional Law and Colonialism

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2022

Professor,  Richard Davis

Tuesday 4:15-6:15pm

Course Site

This reading group will explore constitutional law and colonialism in contemporary, comparative, and historical perspectives. Typically, colonialism is not a topic of study in constitutional law courses in the United States. The readings will address that gap by considering the ways in which constitutional law has shaped, and been shaped by, U.S. colonialism. It will cover canonical cases concerning the relationships between the United States and Indigenous Peoples as well as cases concerning U.S. territories. It will also address cutting edges issues concerning Indigenous Peoples and the territories today. The readings will also have a comparative law component, including discussion of constitutionalism and colonialism in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.