LAW-320: Law, Enslavement and Race (4 units)

USC Gould School of Law is seeking an adjunct lecturer to develop curriculum and teach an undergraduate law class, LAW 320 Law, Enslavement and Race (4 units). The instructor will begin work immediately (this fall 2025) to develop the course. The instructor will then teach the course during the spring 2026 semester, from January 12 to May 1, 2026 (final exam period May 6-13). The lectures are scheduled on campus twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday from 12:00PM to 1:50PM. The schedule is firm so candidates must be able to teach on campus at the scheduled time.

Candidates must have a JD and strong legal professional backgrounds in the relevant subject matter, preferably with teaching experience. The course will be taught exclusively to enrolled undergraduate students.

This course will explore the interaction of law, enslavement and race in the United States, as well as from a comparative perspective.  Students will study the way law, politics and culture interacted to shape the institution of slavery and the development of modern conceptions of race. Reading materials may include original documents, excerpts of trial transcripts, appellate opinions, treatises, codes, and first-person narratives.

This course aims to teach students legal and historical approaches to analyzing important social problems. Students will learn the history of slavery in the United States and the Atlantic world; understand how ideas about race developed through legal and cultural practices; analyze texts on the topics of law, enslavement, and race; and explore the connections between slavery in the past and regimes of racial inequality in the present. Students will learn to read legal materials, which may include trial records, appellate judicial opinions, and statutes, and to use those sources as evidence for legal and historical arguments.

This class may be postponed to a later semester if fewer than 6 students enroll.

Spring 2026 Academic Calendar:

Classes Begin: Mon, January 12

Martin Luther King Holiday: Mon, January 19

President’s Day Holiday: Mon, February 16

Spring Recess: Sun-Sun, March 15-22

Classes End: Fri, May 1

Study Days: Sat-Tue, May 2-5

Exams: Wed-Wed, May 6-13

Final Grading Deadline: TBA

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USC reserves the “Adjunct” appointment for faculty teaching less than full-time at USC, who are employed full-time in a primary profession or career elsewhere. Adjunct faculty typically teach only one course per year but, in exceptional cases, may teach one course per semester, if approved by the dean.

To ensure compliance with federal, state or local regulatory requirements as well as university policy and procedures, Adjunct Lecturers are required to complete specific training requirements as a condition of employment. Adjuncts Lecturers must complete mandated training by a required deadline. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination, in accordance with the Faculty Handbook. Trainings that are required for all faculty and staff include USC’s Harassment Prevention Training at the time of hire and every two years thereafter, USC’s Integrity and Accountability Code Training at the time of hire, Information Security training annually, and Workplace Violence Prevention Plan training annually. A variety of other trainings may be required based on specific job responsibilities.

https://policy.usc.edu/training-requirements-and-opportunities/

https://employees.usc.edu/learn-grow/learning-and-professional-development/required-training/

The base salary range for this position is $2,433.66 - $12,250 per semester. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the number of units per course, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

The Gould School of Law (Gould) considers candidates that demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values. Gould holds a unique position in society, and within the university, as every aspect of these principles are influenced by and can be protected through legal rules and institutions.  At Gould, we are proudly committed to maintaining a community in which each person respects the rights of others to live, work, and learn in peace and dignity, to be proud of who and what they are, and to have equal opportunity to realize their full potential as individuals and members of society.