PLSC 477Sex, Race, & Justice: The U.S. Supreme Court and Equality

3 credits · Political Science · Penn State

The American judicial system has played an active role in policing the rights of disadvantaged groups in American history. In this course, we will draw upon political science and legal approaches to examine the judiciary's approach to ensuring equality through an examination of cases involving same-sex rights, affirmative action, and voting rights. We will explore difficult questions such as: How does the Court define equality? Are justices' decisions driven by law, ideology, or both? Is the current Supreme Court particularly activist? Readings include court cases, newspaper articles, and essays from political science and law journals.