Courses | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

This course will provide an overview of federal constitutional and statutory antidiscrimination law while encouraging students to consider the proper role of the law in addressing discrimination and inequality. The focus will be on discrimination based on race and sex, but some attention will also be given to discrimination based on other characteristics, such as sexual orientation and disability. Topics will include: competing frameworks for antidiscrimination law, such as the anti-classification and anti-subordination approaches to equal protection; different theories of equality; the roles of courts, legislatures, and administrative bodies, as well as private actors, in addressing discrimination; constitutional and statutory antidiscrimination doctrines, including disparate impact; models of bias; and justifications for affirmative action. The course will explore such issues in a range of contexts, including education, employment, voting, and housing.