Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This reading group will explore U.S. family law contexts in which children’s racial, religious, and gender identities have been legally salient from the early twentieth century through today. Representative topics include foster care, adoption, custody, and assisted reproductive technology. The course will use these topics as a starting point to consider changing understandings of race, religion, and gender/sexuality over time. The reading group also will examine how history features in modern political and legal arguments by focusing on controversies involving the treatment of children. Course materials will include historical and legal scholarship, legal briefs and cases, news articles, op-eds, and videos.

Note: This reading group will meet on the following dates: 9/6, 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15