Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This course will provide an introduction to U.S. housing law and policy with a focus on low- and moderate-income tenants and homeowners. We will examine the state of public housing and federal housing subsidies; code enforcement; foreclosures and neighborhood stabilization; gentrification and displacement; affordable housing development; fair housing, including the racist roots of many U.S. housing policies and problems; and evictions and access to justice. The class will draw on students’ personal and professional experiences as well as the perspectives of a variety of housing professionals – from developers to tenant organizers to judges and government officials – who will appear as guest speakers. Through this course, students will develop the background necessary to understand and evaluate the various strategies that housing advocates and activists are using – or might use – to promote housing justice in the United States.

The course is appropriate for students pursuing graduate work in other disciplines, including government, design, education, public health, and business, and cross-registrants are welcome.