Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (Perrin)
Faculty
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| Ayodeji Kamau Perrin Sharswood Fellow ayodeji@law.upenn.edu |
Additional Information
Satisfies Senior Writing RequirementNo
Class meets in person.
Meeting Times/Location
M 10:30AM - 12:20PM
Silverman Hall 280
Category
Upper-Level
Credits
2.0
This course discusses civil rights and civil liberties. Civil liberties are most firmly grounded in the Constitution - namely the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments including the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause and the 15th and 19th Amendments. Civil rights primarily concerns protection from discrimination, grounded in the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, and elaborate through an array of federal and state statutes such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Thus, this course concerns civil liberties such as free exercise of religion, the right to bear arms, freedom from unlawful searches and seizures, due process trial rights, freedom from cruel treatments and punishments, and liberties enunciated through the Supreme Court's substantive due process jurisprudence, such as the right to privacy, and liberties derived from the right to privacy such as the right to abortion, same-sex sexual conduct, and same-sex marriage.
It also concerns civil rights, especially prohibitions on discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ability/disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and prohibitions on discrimination in education, employment, public accommodations, and federally funded programs.
Students will read historical and sociolegal texts regarding the debates and activism leading to the construction of civil rights and liberties, as well as federal and state judicial opinions.
Constitutional Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of constitutional law; Perform legal analysis in the context of constitutional law; Communicate effectively on topics related to constitutional law; Demonstrate an understanding of constitutional law affects other areas of law.
Courts and the Judicial System Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of both substantive and procedural issues in the operation of our legal system; Perform legal analysis in the context of procedural issues and the judicial process; Communicate effectively on topics related to procedure and the judicial process; Demonstrate an understanding of how procedural issues and the judicial process affect all other area of our legal system.
Perspectives on the Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of how the law affects, and is affected by, the individual course topic; Perform legal analysis in the context of the individual course topic; Communicate effectively on the legal and other aspects of the individual course topic; Demonstrate the ability to use other disciplines to analyze legal issues relevant to the individual course topic, including economics, philosophy, and sociology, as appropriate.
Equity and Inclusion Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of the varied legal aspects of equity and inclusion; Perform legal analysis in the context of topics related to equity and inclusion; Communicate effectively on the legal aspects of equity and inclusion; Demonstrate an understanding of how equity and inclusion are connected to and affected by a wide variety of legal and regulatory structures and doctrines.