PLTC354

Can the hard-won voting rights victories of the Civil Rights Movement be taken for granted? Have we left the age of racially motivated disenfranchisement, or are we in a new era of civil rights violations? In the twenty-first century, new laws and court decisions have changed the relationship between the state and federal governments and made voting rights more tenuous. This course surveys scholarly literature on electoral institutions, racial politics, and access to the ballot in the United States. Students participate in community-engaged learning in the Lewiston-Auburn area, connecting their work on voting rights in Maine to course materials. Prerequisite(s): One of the following: PLTC 115, FYS 522, PLTC 203, PLTC 208, PLTC 211, PLTC 215, PLTC 216, PLTC 230, PLTC 251, PLTC 257, PLTC 282, PLTC 285, PLTC 301Z, PLTC 310, PLTC 319, OR PLTC s28.