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University of California, Santa Barbara

Civil Rights Law

Cheng Yu Hou

Instructor: Cheng Yu Hou

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Identify and apply civil rights laws to workplace decisions, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and accommodation.

  • Evaluate policies, data, and HR tools (including AI) for bias, disparate impact, and compliance risk.

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Recently updated!

April 2026

Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

In this module, you'll explore the legal framework that protects employees from discrimination and harassment in the workplace and why it matters for every HR decision. You'll examine the core protections of Title VII, how disparate impact analysis works, what harassment and psychological safety mean in practice, and how retaliation claims arise and can be prevented. By the end of the module, you'll be prepared to recognize civil rights risks in everyday HR decisions and understand why consistent, documented, job-related decision-making is the foundation of legally defensible practice.

What's included

5 videos4 readings1 assignment

In this module, you'll explore the specific areas of civil rights law that require the most structured HR processes and the most careful documentation. You'll examine how the ADA and ADAAA govern disability and mental health accommodations, how religious accommodation requests must be evaluated under the updated undue hardship standard, how equal pay laws and pay transparency requirements apply to compensation decisions, and how civil rights obligations extend to AI-driven HR tools. By the end of the module, you'll be prepared to navigate accommodation requests, evaluate pay equity concerns, and apply civil rights standards to the technology your organization uses to make employment decisions.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment

In this module, you'll explore the civil rights issues that require the most nuanced analysis and the most deliberate organizational response. You'll examine how micro-experience discrimination creates cumulative liability, how intersectionality shapes civil rights claims and the way HR must evaluate them, how documentation and neutral investigations protect both employees and the organization when concerns arise, and how civil rights compliance connects to broader organizational strategy and leadership accountability. By the end of the module, you'll be prepared to recognize patterns that create legal exposure before they surface as formal claims, conduct and document responses that demonstrate good faith, and connect civil rights obligations to the systems and culture that make compliance sustainable over time.

What's included

4 videos3 readings1 assignment

In this module, you'll synthesize what you've learned across the course and apply it to complex, real-world civil rights scenarios that require both legal precision and professional judgment. You'll examine situations where multiple frameworks overlap, where earlier decisions have created compliance exposure, and where HR must assess risk, correct course, and lead the organization toward accountability — all at once. By the end of the module, you'll be prepared to demonstrate the kind of integrated thinking that civil rights compliance requires in practice.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 assignment

Instructor

Cheng Yu Hou
University of California, Santa Barbara
3 Courses27 learners

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