Time Schedule:
Patricia S. Novotny
WOMEN 310
Seattle Campus
Examines how law addresses women, how the courts have made attempts to address women of color, poor women, lesbians, and women with disabilities. Topics include constitutional construction of equality, employment discrimination, reproductive rights, regulation of sexuality, families and motherhood, sexual harassment, violence against women and international women and human rights.
Class description
This course will examine the interplay between women and the United States legal system with particular attention to: historical antecedents, cultural location, intersection of gender with race, class, and sexuality. Students should complete the course with: (1) some understanding of how the U.S. legal system orders social and economic relations; (2) an acquaintance with the principal laws and legal doctrines relevant to women’s lives (e.g., Constitution, Civil Rights Act, rape law, reproductive rights, etc.); (3) a critical awareness of the law’s historical and current gender partiality; (4) an appreciation for the intersection between gender, race, economic class and sexual orientation; (5) an acquaintance with the historical women’s movement and some important feminist theorists; and (6) an ongoing curiosity about the law and its impact on women’s lives in the United States and internationally.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Lecture and discussion
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
Written analytical papers Exams (essay with "multiple choice" type questions)
Principally paper and exam performance.
