Critical Race Theory

We will examine US race, racism, and racial inequality through the lens of critical race theory. We start with an examination of the development of critical race theory in the legal academy and explore the foundational principles of the theoretical framework. We will utilize a critical race frame to analyze the law as a tool of the US racial state, a mechanism through which the state has created and maintained race privilege and corresponding racial oppression. We will also compare the critical race paradigm that developed in the legal academy to some of the most critical race perspectives in sociology.