Thursday, Jan. 13, Room 175, 12:00-1:00.

Lunch Provided 

Beginning in the mid-1980s, Americans were told that "hate crime" was on the rise throughout the nation. Numerous advocacy groups lobbied for—and achieved—the passage of laws specifically engineered to document the rise in hate crime and dole out extra punishment for perpetrators who chose their victims on the basis of race, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation. But were these legislative efforts necessary or even helpful?

Professor James Jacobs of New York University (NYU) School of Law and our own Professor Cedric Powell will engage in a scholarly debate on the topic.