BA in American Indian Studies in Milwaukee United States | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Although Native Americans constitute the smallest ethnic group in the United States per capita, their unique position as sovereign domestic dependent nations makes comprehending their governmental powers and jurisdictions crucial for contemporary American society. Through AIS coursework, students gain deeper cultural sensitivity and expanded knowledge about the varied traditions, literary works, historical backgrounds, treaty obligations, current social challenges, and self-governing rights of North America's Indigenous tribes.

The American Indian Studies program delivers comprehensive academic curricula that equip students with thorough insights into Native American tribal nations across North America. All U.S. territories were originally Indigenous lands, though most were progressively ceded to the United States. Historical treaties and legal agreements—first with European powers like France, England, and Spain, later with the U.S., Canada, and other governments—have periodically granted federal authorities significant control over Native populations while still acknowledging the sovereignty of over 565 tribal nations, including 12 located within Wisconsin. The influential role Native Americans have played in shaping Wisconsin's, the United States', and Canada's development, combined with their current sovereign status, renders American Indian studies indispensable for understanding North American society and culture in the modern era.