Race and the Law

Catalog description

This course covers interdisciplinary, critical perspectives on race and racism and the roles of law and history in shaping the meanings of race in the United States. We will study the histories of the major racialized groups in the United States: African Americans, Indians, Latinos/Latinas, Asian Americans, and Whites. We will also study the differing implications of enslavement, conquest, colonization, and immigration. We will explore how race and racism play out in selected areas such as equality, education and crime and explore significant current events and findings such as: important studies of implicit bias; the Voting Rights Act and allegedly race-neutral restrictions on voting; disparate treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system; and demographic changes and their implications. I expect each student to complete a 25-page research paper on a subject of her choice related to the course. I will work with you to develop a topic and to organize your research in productive ways. Your final grades will be based primarily on your papers, together with your preparation for and participation in class. I.E., you must also do the reading for the course to get anything out of it. There is no final exam in this course. This is a Skills course.