Lecture 1: Introduction

to the Course
Lecture 1: Introduction to the Course and Syllabus Review
Political Science 293 (Race and the Law)
Fall 2022
This Lecture

 Mostly follow the lecture

 Briefly review the syllabus if you have not already done so
 You should also read the syllabus in detail later to see if you may have any
questions
This Course

 You will need to listen to these lectures for each section of the course
 They will be available before each week’s materials
 There will generally be two per week, averaging about 60-90 minutes each
 I am trying to make this as close to being in class as possible the way I do this you will
not be teaching yourself as you might in other online courses
 These are recorded for you to listen to the schedule is a suggested time frame
 The key is not to fall behind
Textbooks

 We will use two books

 Berman, Ari. 2016. Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in
America. Picador Press. ISBN: 1250094720. (Required).
 Kousser, J. Morgan. 1999. Colorblind Injustice: Minority Voting Rights and the
Undoing of the Second Reconstruction. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN:
0807847380. (Required).
 I will also provide supplemental materials on UB Learns, much of which will come
from The Law of Democracy, by Issacharoff, et. al. (2016). Look for this under the
Course Documents tab. There is no need for students to purchase this book. For the
readings here this has some pretty in depth materials, but I do want you to read
this, know that my in class lectures will cover it to a significant degree, so there is
no need for students to read this too in depth. There is also a supplement to the
current version of the book that I have here that will cover more recent
developments as cases. I will upload the supplement as well.
Course Topics

 This class largely focuses on Voting Rights in the United States

 Constitutional foundations of the right to vote
 The struggle for voting rights
 Methods of disenfranchisement
 The Voting Rights Act of 1965
 Along with its amendments in 1970, 1975, 1982, and 2006
 Preclearance until Shelby County v. Holder
 Representation by minority groups
 Modern attempts to suppress voting
 The 2020 Election and its Aftermath
More on the Course

 Exams
 Three exams (25% each)
 50 questions 90 minutes
 These will be timed must be taken in one sitting
 You MUST take them online in the times listed on the syllabus
 Most all of the questions will come from the online lectures, which supplement and follow
the readings
 These are all multiple choice
Course Paper

 There will be one course paper (25% of grade)

 The details will be on UB Learns
 It will be due towards the end of the semester
 You must turn in the paper to pass the course
Getting in touch with me

 The best way to get in touch with me is by email

 I will try to answer emails within 24 hours
 Exception is that I usually don’t answer e-mails on Sunday
 See the syllabus for e-mail etiquette
 Since this is an online course, email will be the primary method to contact me
 I will have person office hours
 If you want to meet in person, all you need to do for that is to drop by my office during
the times listed on the syllabus
Next Lecture

 This Lecture
 Some of this is part historical background
 Berman Chapter 1
 Issacharoff Intro
 Kousser Chapter 1