Gender and the Law: A Tale of Intimacy and Violence

Catalog description

In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the monumental decision granting women in the U.S. rights to abortion in 1973, sent shockwaves throughout the country and the globe. The tremendous impact of this decision on the life of millions raises fundamental questions regarding the very nature of the law and its implications in publicizing the most private choices we make. The fierce debate around reproductive rights is but one illustration of the intimate and yet violent relationship between gender and the law. In this course, we explore this relationship using a wide range of topics. We will utilize tools developed by scholars from various disciplines and activists in different struggles to ponder on questions ranging from “what is law/gender” to “what it means to have the law regulating our gendered bodies/practices”. Using examples both within and beyond the U.S. borders, we will analyze various perspectives on whether/how the law should regulate gender/sexuality grounded in different experiences across legal, social, and cultural contexts. Such comparisons will illuminate the connections among the worlds’ populations and elucidate the cultural and political assumptions underlying legal debates. The students will be tasked to research, analyze, and evaluate the cultural, political, and social implications of legal intervention in gendered social relations. This is a course of particular interest to students who aspire to a career in the legal profession and/or advocacy for gender equity.