History 397DV - ST-DomesticViolence:Legal Hist

This course will examine the evolution of the legal treatment of violence in intimate relationships, focusing specifically on the post-war United States and paying particular attention to the rise of the movement against domestic violence in the 1970s and 1980s. Through an analysis of court cases and legislation, we will look at how and why such violence came to be seen as a crime and the criminal and civil legal responses to it. We will explore issues such as: the evolution from a feminist activist domestic violence movement to the professionalization of domestic violence services; civil orders of protection and the shelter movement; women as defendants and Domestic Violence Syndrome; domestic violence in the context of employment and child custody; the Violence Against Women Act; and how domestic violence - and the legal responses to it - might impact victims/survivors differently depending on factors such as, race/ethnicity, income level, immigration status, sexual orientation/gender identity, age, and marital status.

Prior law related coursework helpful, but not required.