Fall 2023 Class Schedule: Center for Legal Studies

Fall 2023 Class Schedule

To read course descriptions, click on the course titles below.
To look up class meeting days and times please go to CAESAR.
Note that courses are subject to change.

Course

Title

Instructor

LEGAL_ST 101-7

College Seminar: Investigating Representations of True Crime

Abigail Barefoot

LEGAL_ST 101-7 College Seminar: Investigating Representations of True Crime

This course broadly provides a cultural analysis of true crime and pop culture. In particular, we’ll uncover why true crime stories seem to go viral (and why certain folks enjoy devouring these narratives). We will think intersectionally, analyzing how race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and citizenship shape concepts of “victimhood” and “criminality,” as well as make certain true crime narratives more “popular” than others. Finally, we will develop a robust theoretical toolkit, combining an interdisciplinary range of perspectives from feminist anti-violence studies, critical criminology, literary criticism, and creative non-fiction journalism.

LEGAL_ST 206-0-20

Law and Society (also SOCIOL 206)

Joanna Grisinger

LEGAL_ST 206-0-20 Law and Society (also SOCIOL 206)

Law is everywhere. Law permits, prohibits, enables, legitimates,protects, and prosecutes. Law shapes our day-to-day lives incountless ways. This course examines the connections andrelationships of law and society using an interdisciplinary socialscience approach. As one of the founders of the Law and Societymovement observed, "law is too important to leave to lawyers."Accordingly, this course will borrow from several theoretical,disciplinary, and interdisciplinary perspectives (such as sociology,history, anthropology, political science, and critical studies) in order toexplore the sociology of law and law's role primarily in the Americancontext. The thematic topics to be discussed include law and socialcontrol; law's role in social change; and law's capacity to reach intocomplex social relations and intervene in existing normativeinstitutions and organizational structures.

LEGAL_ST 276-0-1

Introductory Topics in Legal Studies

Shana Bernstein

LEGAL_ST 276-0-1 Introductory Topics in Legal Studies

Legal_St 276-0-20 "Japanese American 'Internment'" (also ASIAN_AM 220-1), Shana Bernstein (Fall 2023)

Twice since 9/11 politicians have referred to the World War II imprisonment of Japanese Americans as a possible precedent for policies toward Muslims. Yet many Americans remain ignorant about this important and understudied episode in U.S. history. This seminar-style course examines events leading up to the mass imprisonment of a group of people based on race, the role played by wartime emergency language, the experiences of Japanese Americans, and the consequences of this wartime policy. It focuses on the intersections between race, gender, nation, and law. Readings include secondary and primary sources, including related court cases, executive orders, documentary films, memoirs, and fiction. Note this is a discussion-based class. Students will be expected to read and participate daily, as well as write three papers throughout the quarter (two approx. 3-5 pages, one 8-10 pages).

LEGAL_ST 332-0-1

Constitutional Law I (also POLI SCI 332)

Nicolette Bruner

LEGAL_ST 332-0-1 Constitutional Law I (also POLI SCI 332)

This course investigates the structure of American government as laid out by the Constitution. It will also examine the many controversies over what, exactly, the Constitution means, who gets to decide, and how. We will discuss judicial review, the powers of Congress and the executive branch, and the relationship between the federal government and the states.

LEGAL_ST 376-0-20

Native Nations and the US Legal System (also HIST 300)

Doug Kiel

LEGAL_ST 376-0-20 Native Nations and the US Legal System (also HIST 300)

This course highlights the intricate relationship between Native nations and the U.S. legal system, with an emphasis on their status as sovereign nations, rather than simply racial or ethnic minorities. We will examine the historical development of tribal governments, U.S. laws and policies governing Indigenous affairs, Indigenous legal traditions, the European doctrine of discovery, diplomatic relations, treaty-making, and the constitutional foundations of federal Indian law. In addition, we will analyze key U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the growth of federal bureaucracy in Indian Country, the expansion of tribal authority in the 20th century, and municipal interactions with Native nations. The course will address contemporary relationships between Indigenous nations, federal and state governments, and the role of federal Indian law as both a colonial tool and a mechanism for Indigenous communities to protect their interests. Throughout the course, we will explore the legal and political challenges facing American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Indigenous peoples in U.S. Territories.

LEGAL_ST 398-1-20

Advanced Research Seminar (Majors Only)

Abigail Barefoot

LEGAL_ST 398-1-20 Advanced Research Seminar (Majors Only)

Legal Studies 398-1,2 is a two-quarter sequence required for all Legal Studies majors. This seminar exposes students to a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to law and legal institutions; over two quarters, students will develop their own research paper on a topic of interest.