Despite the 1930s' "revolution in labor law," many workers found themselves discriminated against by employers, trapped in low wage work, and excluded from, or even attacked by unions. White employers and workers played an active role in the perpetuation of a racist system. Women, too, seldom escaped low wage, feminized jobs, and were officially excluded from union membership in some organizations, despite their important roles in labor history.

The next wave of legal reform in the laws governing work came out of African-Americans' century-long fight for justice at work and in society. Our study will focus on this history, as these workers carried the burden of reform for all who later benefited. We'll look at the history of workplace racial discrimination in the US and at the movements of working people for equality and inclusion, from the Civil War to the present. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made many kinds of racial and gender discrimination illegal and provided some means of remedy. We'll look at how this law works, how affirmative action came about as a remedy, and how the values and assumptions of American law are deeply linked to concepts of race.

Some student projects will be continued from last quarter; new ones will focus on current controversies about discrimination

Students who are joining the program in Winter quarter are required to complete the New Student Assignment, which is due the first class session.

For the weekly schedule, see the links at the left

Winter Books: (All books are available on Open Reserve or Closed Reserve in the Evergreen Library)

* Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law (Legal Research, 10th Ed), by Stephen Elias, Susan Levinkind, Richard Stim, Nolo Press, 2002 (carried over from Fall)
*Critical Race Theory: An Introduction by Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic, Angela Harris, New York University Press, 2001
* Race, Gender, and Discrimination at Work, by Samuel Cohn, Westview Press, 2000
* Black Labor and the American Legal System : Race, Work, and the Law, by Herbert Hill Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1986
* Eyes on the Prize, by Juan Williams, Penguin USA (1988) 2002 edition
* From Direct Action to Affirmative Action : Fair Employment Law and Policy in America, 1933-1972 by Paul D. Moreno, Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1999.