Students must have taken at least one of the following courses or received permission to enroll from the professor- Constitutional Law II, Critical Race and the Law, Employment Discrimination, Gender and the Law, or Legal History of Race.U.S. civil rights law forbids discrimination on the basis of traits such as race, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This seminar will explore foundational questions for U.S. antidiscrimination law, such as how discrimination should be defined, why people discriminate, and what sorts of legal interventions can reduce discrimination. It will also address current controversies on topics such as affirmative action, implicit bias, intersectional discrimination, religious exemptions, and whether the law should prohibit discrimination based on additional categories. Readings will include primary legal authorities, such as statutes and judicial decisions, as well as commentary by legal scholars. These legal readings will be supplemented by materials from history, psychology, philosophy, economics, and literature. Enrollment limited.
