HIST 376
Sex, Gender, and the Law in U.S. History Fall 2024
Division II Difference, Power, and Equity
Cross-listed WGSS 376

This course explores that ways in which the law has defined and regulated gender and sexuality in the United States, and the ways that individuals have experienced and responded to those definitions and regulations. We will evaluate how the law has dictated different roles for men and women, how sexual acts have been designated as legal or illegal, and the ways that race, class, and nationality have complicated the definition and regulation of gender and sexuality. This course examines how assumptions about gender and sexuality have informed the creation and development of American law and the changing meanings of citizenship; considers how laws regulating sex and gender have yielded varied effects for men and women across race and class divides, challenging some differences while naturalizing others; and assesses the power and shortcomings of appeals to formal legal equality waged by diverse groups and individuals. Throughout the course, we will consider the various methodologies and approaches of the interdisciplinary field of legal history. Topics to be covered will include the Constitution, slavery, marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance, immigration, sexual violence, reproduction, abortion, privacy, suffrage, jury duty, work, and military service.