Prerequisite: None

Exam Type: No Exam

Title IX guarantees students the right to equal access to educational opportunities. In this seminar, we consider Title IX from legal policy, jurisprudential and social justice perspectives. We consider the role of various social and political forces on Title IX’s interpretation and enforcement, and how it has become the site of contested notions of students’ rights regarding sexual assault on campus. Students can expect to learn about litigation strategies, effective advocacy campaigns and the art of law in action.

The course analyzes schools’ obligation to prevent, respond to, and resolve cases of sexual misconduct. We consider questions including: how do we create cultures of sexual respect on campus? What role can schools play to address most effectively the persistent problem of underreporting? How should schools design their resolution systems to provide justice and fair process for all parties? These questions will be considered in the current context of the Biden Administration’s efforts to restore protections for victims and survivors after the previous administration’s passing of a Final Rule on Title IX that narrowed the protections afforded by the Title IX civil rights regime.