Gender and the Law in America
This course is designed to give students a better understanding of the legal system and its fluidity
as applied to gender, which we will discuss in terms of biology, gender identity, gender politics,
and sexual orientation. By reading and discussing major court decisions, feminist and queer legal
theory, and historical and contemporary accounts, we will explore how important gender has been
to the development of the law and evaluate the ways in which the law has treated men and women
differently during this nation’s history. Topics may include marriage, property ownership, voting
rights, education, employment, citizenship, jury service, reproductive freedom, and violence
against women.
During the course of the semester, we will have sixteen weeks in which to discuss topics related
to gender and the law. While we will cover a great amount of material, sixteen weeks simply is
not enough time to do justice to every potential subject as it relates to the field of inquiry.
Therefore, in addition to the topics selected for weekly reading and discussion, students will have
the opportunity to do in-depth research on a topic they find particularly interesting, culminating in
a research paper that is related to the subject of gender and the law.