Course description
This course offers the opportunity to consider legal and policy matters in a context which every student has experienced, whether they realize it or not. Via collaborative class discussions, small group discussions, videos, the analysis of meaningful and current texts and articles, and keynote speakers, we examine the goals, governance, norms, and ideals of American institutions of higher education and address the nature and establishment of colleges and universities; the relationship of colleges to local, state, and federal governments; and seminal case law and pending legislation. We address important and contemporary issues related to undocumented students; Title IX and sexual assault on college campuses; the academic freedom rights of faculty; the rights of students to be free from discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity; affirmative action; student debt; and shootings on college campuses. We focus on real time issues with imminent impact on the higher education landscape. The legal and policy issues discussed in this course serve as a gateway to a broader discussion of the role and meaning of higher education in today's society.
