Warning: the readings assigned in this page may be disturbing. They examine the word "nigger" from two points of view: legal and sociolinguistic. First, however, the word history of "taboo" from the American Heritage Dictionary will give an idea of where the word "taboo" comes from, and what it meant at an earlier stage in history. 

The second reading is from Professor Randall Kennedy's book Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. The link takes you to an electronic copy of Chapter 3, which you are expected to read for lecture and discussion.