NOTE: Areas listed are for the NEW PLAN only.
Anthro 157 Anthropology of Law (4) Comparative survey of the ethnography of law; methods and concepts relevant to the comparative analysis of the forms and functions of law. (Area II)
UGBA 107 Social & Political Environment of Business (3) Study and analysis of American business in a changing social and political environment. Interaction between business and other institutions. Role of business in the development of social values, goals, and national priorities. The expanding role of the corporation in dealing with social problems and issues. (Area III)
UGBA 175 Legal Aspects of Management (3) An analysis of the law and the legal process, emphasizing the nature and functions of law within the U.S. federal system, followed by a discussion of the legal problems pertaining to contracts and related topics, business association, and the impact of law on economic enterprise. (Area III)
GLOBAL 173 International Human Rights (4) This course will explore the philosophical evolution of human rights principles in the realm of political theory and the influence of such principles as they have transformed into a coherent body of law. We will focus specifically on issues in international human rights law; the approach will be both thematic and comparative. Topics will include but are not limited to: human rights diplomacy; the influence of human rights in international legal practice; cultural and minority rights; genocide and the world community; cultural relativism and national sovereignty; international law and international relations; individual and collective rights; migration, labor, and globalization; and national, international, and nongovernmental organizations. Area IV or V
Hist 100D Legal & Constitutional History of the U.S. Since 1850 (4)This course explores some of the major questions and problems of United States legal history since 1850. As a course in legal history, this class weaves together historical and legal approaches, themes, and materials. Our themes will include federalism and the evolving nature of constitutional authority; citizenship and rights; law and economic change; and popular understandings of ‘the law.’ We will devote attention both to the “high” sphere of Constitutional jurisprudence and to other legal and extra-legal arenas where law was applied, argued over, and worked out. By the end of this course, you should be able to: read and analyze different kinds of legal texts; understand the meanings of legal concepts and doctrines by rooting them in specific historical moments; understand the distinct roles played by different actors (judges, legislatures, lawyers, reporters, litigants, voters, etc.) within our constitutional system; and make cogent, evidence-based arguments about these core themes in law and legal history. Course grades will be based on class participation, four short (1-page) assignments, a midterm, and a final exam. (Area IV or V)
Media Studies 104D Privacy in the Digital Age (3) (Area I or IV)
This course examines issues of privacy in contemporary society, with an emphasis on how privacy is affected by technological change. Modern privacy is informed by a patchwork of overlapping constitutional rights, statutory laws, regulations, market forces and social norms. Thus, although the U.S. Constitution does not contain the word “privacy,” the concept remains an important part of our legal and cultural experience. After an introduction to features of the American legal system and the theoretical underpinnings of privacy law, we will consider privacy in the context of law enforcement investigations (including what it takes for the government to track your movements or read your email), national security (such as when the government can get a secret foreign intelligence wiretap), government records and databases (including how to get access to them), newsgathering torts, protections for journalistic work product, First Amendment limitations on privacy regulation, and international perspectives.
NATAMST 100 Native American Law (4) Historical background of the unique relationship between the United States government and Native American tribes, and examination of contemporary legislation, court cases, and federal, state, and local policies affecting Native American social, political, legal, and economic situations. (Area II or IV)
NATAMST 102 Critical Native American Legal and Policy Studies. (4) Key contemporary issues in the critical study of tribal and federal policy pertaining to American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S. Topics include political and cultural sovereignty; religious, gendered, sexual, racial, and other tribal minorities, and civil rights within tribes; Native legal identity and tribal enrollment; the role of violence against women in the history of colonialism, and the struggle for justice and healing; and the movement for traditional or other culturally appropriate forms for tribal self-governance. (Area IV or V)
Philosophy 115 Political Philosophy (4) This course is devoted to some of the central questions in contemporary political philosophy: liberty, justice and equality. The course is focused particularly on the work of John Rawls. (Area V)
Poli Sci 112A History of Political Theory (4) Major theories from the ancient Greeks to the modern period. Ancient and medieval political thought, including Plato, Aristotle, and St. Augustine. (Area V)
Rhetoric 152 (not 152AC) Rhetoric of Constitutional Discourse (4) The constitutional state is often defined as one in which power is defined and restrained by law. This formulation hides many complications, both historical and theoretical. This class will look closely at the constitution of modern states through the eyes of one of the sharpest critics of the liberal democratic constitutional order, the German jurist Carl Schmitt. We will follow a four part trajectory. The starting point will be the emergence of a new “total state” in Europe and the US in the wake of the First World War, and its ramifications for thinking about classic constitutional orders in a time of intense political and economic crisis. We will then look at the legal and political challenges of the Nazi state, reading both Schmitt’s work under the regime and external critics of this new order. Next, we will reflect on the nature of law and constitutional order in the context of global political reconfigurations in the Cold War era. The end of the course will be more speculative: how can we use Schmitt’s critique of the legal state for an analysis of our contemporary moment? (Area II or V)
Rhetoric 165 Rhetoric of Legal Philosophy (4) Consideration of basic philosophical issues related to the political and moral foundations of the law. (Area II or IV or V)
Rhetoric 167 Advanced Topics in Law and Rhetoric (4) Thorough consideration of particular rhetorical themes in the field of legal theory, legal philosophy, and legal argumentation. (Area II)
Sociology 114 Sociology of Law (4) Selected legal rules, principles, and institutions treated from a sociological perspective. Influence of culture and social organization on law; role of law in social change; social aspects of the administration of justice; social knowledge and the law. (Area II or IV)