Teaching
Employment Discrimination
Employment Discrimination Law offers broad coverage, touching the most important areas of workplace discrimination law. Most of the course content focuses on Title VII and other federal statutes, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. I also incorporate relevant state and local laws and executive orders to enhance the students’ awareness of the range of legal regulations and remedies available in this area of law. Lastly, I highlight social science research on workplace inequality to broaden understanding of the core issues, both historical and contemporary.
Employment Law
Employment Law is a wide ranging survey course that examines the relationship between individual workers and their employers. Among the topics covered are the doctrine of employment at will and its common law modifications; employee privacy; the employer’s legal rights to own or control employees’ loyalty, skills, and intellectual products; wage and hour regulation; workplace safety; unemployment insurance; and mandatory arbitration of employment disputes.
Contemporary Bias and Law Seminar
This original and innovative seminar offers law students the opportunity to explore the relevance of stereotypes, prejudice, and more subtle forms of bias. Building on my related program of research, I begin with a coherent theoretical and empirical framework as a foundation to examine how implicit, explicit, and institutional forms of bias perpetuate inequality and the role of law in protecting individuals from such bias. The readings incorporated empirical studies, cases, and interdisciplinary perspectives from law, public policy, sociology, psychology, and economics. Students have the opportunity to explore how bias and inequality operate in multiple settings including employment, education, housing and criminal justice.
Public Policy and Activism
In this course, students tackle the most challenging issues facing the United States and learn what it takes to be a change maker. We dive into the laws, regulations, funding, people, entities and priorities that shape the United States and its people. From education to healthcare, criminal justice to the environment, public policy impacts every facet of American society. Students will engage in hands-on exercises about identifying problems and solutions; negotiating compromises; determining which government entities can and should act; considering legislation in the context of broader political strategy. Students engage with activism, examining ethical, practical, strategic, and tactical considerations that go into deciding how to advance policy goals.