Affirmative Action Pathfinder

 

Introduction: Affirmative action in colleges, or using race as a factor for admissions purposes, is a very controversial topic. Supporters of it say that it is fair because minorities do not have equal opportunities for achievement. Opponents say that Caucasians should not be penalized because minorities cannot keep up.  Current Supreme Court cases regarding the University of Michigan address the issues of when affirmative action crosses the line. This pathfinder should provide useful information about the background of affirmative action, and different controversies going on at colleges today, so you can decide for yourself if it is ethical or not, and if you think it is, if sometimes it can go too far.

 

General Advice for Researchers: Affirmative action at colleges and universities is a broad topic, and much information that you will find, especially on the web, is biased depending on the author's attitude towards it.  Try to find web pages of renowned institutes that try to solely relay information without taking a side.

 

Dewey/Library of Congress Number/Circulating Works:

331.13

          Affirmative Action: A Problem or a Remedy?- JoAnn Bren Guernsey 

          In this book, the history of affirmative action is discussed as well as if it can cause reverse discrimination to Caucasians.

          Affirmative Action – edited by Bryan Grapes

          This book includes ten essays by different authors.  Both pro and anti-affirmative action viewpoints are expressed.

342.73 

          Affirmative Action- edited by Donald Altschiller

This book contains an overview of affirmative action programs and includes basic information about affirmative action.

 

Online Databases:

Bigchalk

EbscoHost

SIRS

 

 

Gateway Sites:

The Affirmative Action and Diversity Project: A Web Page for Research

          http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/

This site brings you to a large collection of primary sources, and papers presenting both sides of the debate, as well as information about court cases, and alternatives to affirmative action. 

Affirmative Action Information Center

          http://www.nationalcenter.org/AA.html

This site has links of two varieties, one variety being links to web pages and articles, and the other being links to various litigations dealing with affirmative action.

 

Specific Websites:

Race, Gender, and Affirmative Action

          http://www-personal.umich.edu/~eandersn/biblio.htm

The author of this site is a philosophy professor at the University of Michigan.  Although the site is meant as a gateway, the author also wrote a short essay.  Included in this were racism and sexism in regards to affirmative action, as well as individual vs. group harm in affirmative action policies.

No Retreat: The Alamo of Affirmative Action

          http://www.cir-usa.org/recent_cases/michigan_background.html

This publication of the Center for Individual Rights gives Background on the Michigan case, as well as a poll conducted by the Washington Post, and links to other sites.

Affirmative Action

http://www.case.org/issueswatch/affirmativeaction.cfm

This is a great site about all of the major court cases involving affirmative action to date.

 

Primary Sources:

California "Civil Rights" Initiative, a Proposed Statewide Constitutional Amendment By Initiative

          http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/docs/CCRI.html

Transcript of Supreme Court Session on April 1, 2003, Gratz vs. Bollinger

          http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/02-516.pdf

 

 

Organizations:

United for Equality and Affirmative Action (UEAA)

          http://www.ueaa.net

Americans United for Affirmative Action (AUAA)

          http://www.auaa.org

 

Please note that the above organizations are pro-affirmative action.  There were no institutes I came across in my research specifically against affirmative action  However, the Heritage Foundation and a few other conservative institutes negate affirmative action in its present form, they just are not wholly dedicated as an organization to negating affirmative action.

 

Keywords: "affirmative action", affirmative action at colleges, affirmative action Supreme Court cases, University of Michigan Law School.

 

Andrea Lowe 4/19/03