Time Schedule:
Heather N Pool
LSJ 380
Seattle Campus
Covers theoretical, empirical, and comparative aspects of such topics as socio-legal concepts, justice, legal policies, and the institutions of law. Recommended: POL S 101, POL S 202, POL S 204, or SOC 110.
Class description
My name for this course is Gender and the Law.
Using feminist legal theory as well as court cases, this course considers how and when the law is a tool for the liberation--or alternatively the subordination--of women. Using a feminist framework, we will also consider the role of law in constructing ideas about sex and gender in society, as well as the role of sex and gender in constructing ideas about the law. We will consider questions like the following.
* Should law treat people the same or differently on the basis of sex; should women seeking justice argue that they are equal to men or different from men? * Should the law foster abstract/formal justice or substantive/outcome-based justice? * How do gender and race intersect in legal institutions? Are rights real if the law says they are, or do we need more than law to realize justice?
To supplement these more theoretical questions, we will discuss substantive case law, including cases focusing on sexuality, violence, employment, and reproduction. The course will guide students through a series of readings meant to help them understand the relationship between gender as a social construct and law as a social construct and consider how the two are related.
Student learning goals
Students will be expected to discuss instances when law has been mobilized to argue that sex is a protected class that deserves 'special' consideration.
Students will be expected to discuss instances when law has been used to argue that women are equal to men.
Students will be expected to offer a forecast, based on evidence, about how an argument could be made for legal intervention in women's life in specific instances, and identify what the outcome of that intervention might be.
General method of instruction
This will be a discussion-heavy class. The expectation is that students will come to class with a basic level of preparation to enable them to make meaningful contributions to each discussion.
Instruction will incorporate a variety of formats, including in-class writing, pair work, small group work, student presentations, as well as films, documentaries, and other mass media.
Lectures will be used only to fill in overviews not offered by course texts.
Recommended preparation
Students may succeed in this course without any prerequisites. Previous coursework in LSJ or Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is helpful, but not required.
Class assignments and grading
Once each week, students will be required to prepare and turn in questions based on the readings for one class. That is, half the class will turn in questions for Tuesday and half for Thursday.
There will be two writing assignments: a short mid-term paper (5-7 pages) and a longer research and analysis paper (10-12 pages).
Grades will be assigned on the basis:
Class participation (15%) Weekly questions on the readings (20%) Midterm paper (25%) Final paper (40%)
