This course examines the use of the law both to perpetuate and eradicate racial injustice in the United States. The goals of the course are to achieve an understanding of the role of law in its social context and the use of legal institutions and law as tools for social change, including the responses of American courts and legislatures. This course will examine racial classification in the United States, the historical and legal framework of slavery, race-based citizenship, and immigration issues, segregation, and other issues from the Civil Rights Era to the present. We will examine cases, statutory law, and relevant sources that explore the effect that race and racial inequality have on American law and society. Students will be encouraged to actively participate in class and to share current examples of the effect that issues of race have on the law in the United States. (Credits may be applied toward Criminal Law Practice and Public Interest concentration.)