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Critical Race Theory

Future Offerings

Critical Race Theory (7016): Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, and for decades relevant only to law professors and activists, Critical Race Theory has recently become an object of criticism and controversy far beyond the legal academy. Some of the tenets of Critical Race Theory have made their way into other fields, including sociology, education, and cultural studies. Jurisdictions throughout the United States have passed laws banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory. This class will examine the questions that are at the heart of current CRT controversies: What is critical race theory? Where did it come from? How does it illuminate and help counter the racism that has long plagued American society? Just as critical race theory constitutes a critique of American law and institutions, so too will the course take a critical perspective toward CRT, identifying both virtues and vices of the CRT project. The analysis of CRT, in turn, raises broad questions about the role of race and racism in American society and its intersection with law reform efforts. The readings will be varied. They will include law review articles and judicial opinions, and also articles drawn from the popular media. Special Instructions: Grades will be based on attendance, class participation and (1) a short research paper or (2) a long research paper with consent of the instructor. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, final paper.

Sections

Critical Race Theory | LAW 7016 Section 01 Class #1144

  • 3 Units
  • Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
  • Learning Outcomes Addressed:
    • LO1 - Substantive and Procedural Law
    • LO2 - Legal Analysis and Reasoning
  • Course Category:
    • Public Law

  • 2023-2024 Spring ( )
  • Mon
  • Room: LAW 185

Critical Race Theory | LAW 7016 Section 02 Class #1145

  • 3 Units
  • Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
  • Enrollment Limitations: Consent
  • Graduation Requirements:
    • R -Research Requirement for Law Degree
  • Learning Outcomes Addressed:
    • LO1 - Substantive and Procedural Law
    • LO2 - Legal Analysis and Reasoning
    • LO3 - Ability to Conduct Legal Research
    • LO4 - Ability to Communicate Effectively in Writing
  • Course Category:
    • Public Law

  • 2023-2024 Spring ( )
  • Mon

Past Offerings

Critical Race Theory (7016): Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, and for decades relevant only to law professors and activists, Critical Race Theory has recently become an object of criticism and controversy far beyond the legal academy. Some of the tenets of Critical Race Theory have made their way into other fields, including sociology, education, and cultural studies. Jurisdictions throughout the United States have passed laws banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory. In order to assess these developments, this course will examine the development and contemporary features of Critical Race Theory within the American legal academy. The course will trace the emergence of Critical Race Theory from the Legal Realism and Critical Legal Studies movements that preceded it, and contrast its approach with that of mainstream civil rights lawyers and analysts. The readings will be varied. They will include primarily law review articles and judicial opinions, and also articles drawn from the popular media. Throughout, the goal will be to understand the role of race and racism in American society and its intersection with law reform efforts, in the fields of education, employment, and criminal justice in particular. Special Instructions: Grades will be based on attendance, class participation and (1) a short research paper or (2) a long research paper with consent of the instructor. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, final paper.

Sections

Critical Race Theory | LAW 7016 Section 01 Class #31802

  • 3 Units
  • Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
  • 2022-2023 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
  • Learning Outcomes Addressed:
    • LO1 - Substantive and Procedural Law
    • LO2 - Legal Analysis and Reasoning
  • Course Category:
    • Public Law

Notes: This class section has been cancelled!

  • 2022-2023 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
    This class section has been cancelled!

Critical Race Theory | LAW 7016 Section 02 Class #31803

  • 3 Units
  • Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
  • 2022-2023 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
  • Enrollment Limitations: Consent
  • Graduation Requirements:
    • R -Research Requirement for Law Degree
  • Learning Outcomes Addressed:
    • LO1 - Substantive and Procedural Law
    • LO2 - Legal Analysis and Reasoning
    • LO3 - Ability to Conduct Legal Research
    • LO4 - Ability to Communicate Effectively in Writing
  • Course Category:
    • Public Law

Notes: This class section has been cancelled!

  • 2022-2023 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
    This class section has been cancelled!

Critical Race Theory (7016): This course will cover the most important writing in critical race theory as it relates to law and jurisprudence. We will review the relationship between skeptical jurisprudence as developed in legal realism and Critical Legal Studies to the struggle for racial justice and the ambivalent relationship of civil rights lawyers to mainstream legal strategies for social change. We will review the critique of rights, the use of narrative in legal scholarship and the emergence of the critique of "intersectionality" as a challenge to conventional racial politics. Special Instructions: Grades will be based on attendance, class participation and (1) short reflection essays on the readings and a short research paper or (2) a long research paper with consent of the instructor. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, written assignments, final paper.

Sections

Critical Race Theory | LAW 7016 Section 01 Class #1054

  • 3 Units
  • Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
  • 2021-2022 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
  • Learning Outcomes Addressed:
    • LO1 - Substantive and Procedural Law
    • LO2 - Legal Analysis and Reasoning
    • LO4 - Ability to Communicate Effectively in Writing
  • Course Category:
    • Public Law

  • 2021-2022 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available

Critical Race Theory | LAW 7016 Section 02 Class #1055

  • 3 Units
  • Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
  • 2021-2022 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
  • Enrollment Limitations: Consent
  • Graduation Requirements:
    • R -Research Requirement for Law Degree
  • Learning Outcomes Addressed:
    • LO1 - Substantive and Procedural Law
    • LO2 - Legal Analysis and Reasoning
    • LO3 - Ability to Conduct Legal Research
    • LO4 - Ability to Communicate Effectively in Writing
  • Course Category:
    • Public Law

  • 2021-2022 Spring
    Schedule No Longer Available
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