Faculty of Law

Gender Equality and Law

Level of study: Bachelor

This class asks how does gender (that is concepts regarding what it means to be a man or woman) construct law and how does law construct gender? Over the past thirty years a rich and exciting body of scholarship called feminist legal theory has developed. It poses a significant challenge to traditional ways of thinking about law, questioning some of the basic premises of what constitutes justice and equality. This course  examines the main tenets, methodologies, and controversies in feminist legal theory including the meaning of equality, the intersection of race and law, the public/private divide, concepts of objectivity and neutrality, and how law reproduces hierarchies while also having the ability to participate in significant social change. We will also analyze debates regarding essentialism, women’s sexual agency, masculinity, and concepts of the family and basic rights of citizenship.

Using these methodologies we then examine a number of areas of law including equal protection, reproductive rights, the sex trade, work family issues, and violence.  The goal of the course is to think broadly and critically regarding the interaction of law, society, and gender while exploring the potential and limitations of our legal system. 
 

Syllabus:

Gender Equality and Law (PDF, 401 Кб)

Semester 1

Module 1, 2

 

Credits 6

In-class hours 56

Total hours 228

Professor

Marianna G. Muravyeva

Professor