14028. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: HISTORY AND OVERVIEW. This paper explores the evolution—and more recent devolution—of affirmative action in the United States. Following a brief definition of the term, the analysis presents a history and general overview of affirmative action, including a discussion of the various forms of affirmative action (e.g., goals, quotas, preferences and set-asides); the courts’ and the regulators’ evolving view of affirmative action; the arguments for and against affirmative action; and recent legal and political developments in the field. Separate sections include a close focus on the issue of affirmative action in higher education and the case of gender-based affirmative action. A concluding section considers the future of affirmative action and the impact of recent movements towards substituting voluntary “diversity programs” for court-mandated affirmative action. KEYWORDS: affirmative action race gender employment education set asides quotas. 33 pages, 61 footnotes, 26 bibliographic references. MLA Style. 8618 words.