Gender, Sexuality, and the Law (340-0-30)

Instructors

Abby Barefoot
847/467-0259

Meeting Info

Technological Institute MG28: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

This course is intended as a survey of how law has reflected and created distinctions on the basis of gender and sexuality throughout American history. We'll look at legal categories of gender and sexuality that have governed (and, often, continue to govern) the household (including marriage, divorce, and custody), the economy (including employment, property, and credit), and the political sphere (including voting, jury service, and citizenship). Throughout the course, we will examine the relationship between legal rules and social conditions and discuss how various groups have challenged these legal categories

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be able to engage in critical reading, thinking, and writing; read and understand state and federal cases and statutes; explain how legal doctrines have changed over time; analyze the assumptions of courts and policy makers; understand and describe how legal categories affect (and are affected by) social constructions of gender; and explain how law operates in a social context.

Class Materials (Required)

in Canvas

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Historical Studies Distro Area
Interdisciplinary Distro-rules apply
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area