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Gender & the Law

B568 is taught by C. Matthews

A critical examination of the historical and modern treatment of gender under the law, this course will provide an introduction to the concrete legal contexts in which issues of gender have been articulated and challenged and a discussion of the extent to which these issues have been resolved. This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the strategies used to undermine and recreate women& 039;s legal status in the United States. The goal of the course is to think broadly and critically regarding the interaction of law, society, and gender while exploring the potential and the limitations of law and litigation as tools for social change. Although this course will use a number of different feminist legal theories as a framework for discussion and analysis, this course is not a survey of feminist jurisprudence. Topics may include education, the legal profession, the public/private divide, issues in the workplace and in the family, and the role of power and difference.

Students will be evaluated on participation in class discussion, short reflective assignments, memos, analytical papers, and oral presentations in class. As such, this course satisfies the advanced writing requirement for graduation.