When taught as Race and the Law: This course is a seminar that will review the multiple ways in which race and the American legal system interact, from both a historical and a contemporary standpoint. To this end, the course will examine numerous issues concerning race and justice, including immigration, criminal justice, affirmative action, and remedies. The course will also closely evaluate the nexus between law and the construction of race as a concept and locus of identity. Completion of this course satisfies the upper-level writing requirement. When taught as Critical Race Theory: Critical Race Theory participants will review the multiple ways in which the colorline and the legal system interact, from both a historical and a contemporary standpoint. To this end, we will examine numerous issues concerning racism and justice, including immigration, housing law, voting rights, criminal justice, employment discrimination, affirmative action, and remedies. Participants will complete weekly journals in addition to a term paper. Guest lecturers will appear from time to time. Completion of this course satisfies the upper-level writing requirement. There will be no final examination. When taught as Critical Race Theory: Modern Debates: This course examines the relationship between racial power and the law. Contrary to the dominant legal paradigm which contends that racial subordination is a deviation from the liberal legal ideal, the Critical Race Theory movement views the U.S. legal apparatus as complicit in upholding white supremacy, colonialism, capitalism, and heteropatriarchy. We will begin the course by focusing on the origins of Critical Race Theory and its relationship to Critical Legal Studies. Throughout the semester, we will examine CRT's relationship with other radical legal movements, including Feminist Legal Theory and Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), as well as evaluating attacks of CRT from the right. We will also focus on critiques of CRT by CRT scholars, critiques from within. Course materials will include case law and theory, in addition to some legal history.
