OSHER 293 - Equality: A Self-Evident Truth?

This class will explore the U.S. Constitution and civil rights, focusing on issues relating to race, gender, and sexual orientation. We will begin with a review of the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1789, as well as the three amendments to the Constitution adopted in the wake of the Civil War (13, 14, 15). The bulk of our discussion will center on a number of Supreme Court cases in their historical context, addressing equal protection of the law and due process.