7280. Law, Power, and Equality

This seminar examines how systems of hierarchy and inequality have shaped the development of law. It provides both a historical overview and a contemporary assessment of the relationship between law, power, and social structures. The first part of the course covers topics such as colonization and the Discovery Doctrine, slavery, the framing of the Constitution, the Civil War Amendments and Reconstruction, and segregation. The second considers contemporary issues such as mass incarceration, housing discrimination law, voting restrictions, education law, and economic inequality. The final part of the course emphasizes creative thinking about the role of law in society, encouraging students to explore innovative ways that the law might address inequality and to develop thoughtful, forward-looking approaches to complex legal challenges.