Award Date
1-1-2004
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Political Science
First Committee Member
Jerry Simich
Number of Pages
105
Abstract
This thesis explores the controversial question of affirmative action in higher education. The United States Supreme Court's recent ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S.---(2003) and Gratz v. Bollinger, 529 U.S.---(2003) is sparking a resurgence of debate over the issue. Both Grutter and Gratz filed lawsuits claiming that the University of Michigan affirmative action plan violated their right to equal protection of the laws because it served as a form of reverse discrimination by considering race in the admissions process. While the University of Michigan defended its use of affirmative action in higher education by citing the need for a diverse campus which originated in Justice Powell's opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978). The Supreme Court's recent decision in these two cases has changed the nature of affirmative action making it a policy that no longer focuses solely on race but instead, looks at a variety of factors when deciding which applicants to admit.
Keywords
Action; Affirmative; Inquiry; Legal; Philosophical
Controlled Subject
Political science; Education--Philosophy; Education, bilingual
File Format
File Size
2437.12 KB
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Permissions
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Repository Citation
Van Buren, Shauna Allyn Donahue, "A legal and philosophical inquiry into affirmative action" (2004). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1677.
http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/c3dc-v090
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