Legal Studies 357 - Gender, Law, and Politics

Public policies are not gender-neutral, and thus political actors play a crucial role in shaping gender relations in ways that produce and reproduce inequalities between genders. This course explores legal constructions of gender by introducing case law, federal legislation, and scholarly essays concerning sexual inequality in the United States. Special attention will be paid to grassroots movements, particularly those surrounding suffrage, political participation, reproduction, sexual activity, and marriage. We will explore how the legal system, through regulation, has changed gender relations for both women and men concerning marriage, education, work, and family. We will also consider how these struggles for equality have varied across race, religion, sexual identity, and class with particular attention to feminist critiques of economic inequality.

Open to Legal Studies majors and minors. Pre Req: LEGAL 250