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Intro to Critical Race Theory

Professor
Term
Academic Year
Credits
1.00

The traditional approach to legal education tends to minimize the role of race and racism in the formation of American law. Law in the traditional curriculum in particular is historically taught in a neutral, detached and decontextualized casebook methodology, which can result in a failure to address issues of racial oppression and discrimination in the classroom. The failure to address race in the classroom tends to reproduce racial hierarchies in legal education by presenting the "law" as equal and neutral without taking into account the many ways in which "law" has and can be used to support racial inequality. The failure to address race in the classroom also undermines the cultural competencies and professional readiness of law students by not fully preparing students to practice in a diverse world.This course seeks to fill this gap in legal education by exposing 1L students to issues of racial inequality at the very beginning of their legal education, while preparing students to satisfy New York's (and other states) "competency and professional values" requirement for admission to the Bar.