American Indian Studies is the instructional component of the American Indian Program. It is a multidisciplinary program offering course work that enhances students' understanding of the unique heritage of North American Indians and their relationship to other peoples in the United States and Canada. Students address such challenging topics as the sovereignty rights of Indian nations and the contemporary relevance of Indian attitudes toward the environment. The program's instructional core consists of courses that focus on American Indian life from pre-contact times to the present and features the perspectives of Native American people.