This course explores legal constructions of gender by examining Supreme Court cases, federal legislation, historical documents, news stories, and scholarly essays on sexual inequality in the United States. Topics include the evolution of the family as a legal (and illegal) reality; political regulation of reproduction and sexual activity; feminist critiques of economic inequality; the rise and fall of affirmative action; the changing role of gender in class consolidation; and ongoing debates about the relationships between public and private life.

You can find extracts from all of the Supreme Court Cases listed below, as well as links to the full texts of opinions and background information on The Supreme Court Page .  

CLICK HERE FOR SYLLABUS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Required Readings:

• The Bill of Rights (print out all amendments)

• A History of the Bill of Rights

• Bradwell v. Illinois (1873) Upheld exclusion of women from legal practice (print).

• Louis Brandeis and Samuel Warren, "The Right to Privacy," Harvard Law Review, Volume IV, No. 5, December 1890. (print).

• Lochner v. New York (1905) Ruled that the regulation of labor violates individual freedom to enter into voluntary contracts (print syllabus).

• Muller v. Oregon (1908) Permitted sex discrimination in employment (print).

First-Wave Feminism:

A Struggle for

Admission to the

Public Sphere

The Globalization of Intimacy

BBC: Diana On The Net