Course: Gender and the Law (Dr. Alison Staudinger)

Context:

• Upper division Democracy and Justice Studies/Women’s and Gender Studies course with twenty-five students each semester.
• Faculty member approached the Archives Department because she thought the students were struggling with the dry legal cases central to the course content.
• Students were asked to review a variety of archival documents and collections pertaining to lesbian military service; same sex marriage; domestic abuse; mental health; judicial treatment of women; Oneida nation; and incarceration of female prisoners.
• Students created portfolios based on their archival work and in many instances the archival work led to innovative final projects.

“This sort of work is incredibly high-impact in the classroom and only possible because of the joy the archival staff takes in collaborating—and because of the amazing holdings they make available.”

Student Sample: “Mental Asylums and Gender Roles”

Assignment:

genderlaw