Topics in Legal Studies (376-0-22)
Topic
Reality TV and Legal Theory
Instructors
Nicolette Isabel Bruner
Meeting Info
University Hall 121: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
For the past thirty years, reality television - a genre of programming that aims to give us a view into the "unscripted" actions of our peers - has been a dominant force in U.S. entertainment. Many of us watch these shows to relax, to turn off our critical thinking, and to immerse ourselves wholly into some manufactured drama and schadenfreude. Considered as a cultural text, though, reality television can illuminate some profound truths: about how we decide what is right and wrong, about the tension between written and unwritten rules, and whether anyone can simply be "here to make friends."
In this course, we ask what reality TV can teach us about the nature of law. We'll read and discuss key works in the philosophy of law from H.L.A. Hart, Lon Fuller, Ronald Dworkin, Scott Shapiro, and others, and then see how their ideas stand up to the test of shows like Survivor, The Bachelor, FBoy Island, Ink Master, and Bachelor in Paradise. By the end of the quarter, students will be able to explain the main currents of thought in legal philosophy with reference to elimination ceremonies, confessionals, alliances, and other fundamentals of reality TV gameplay.
Registration Requirements
no pre-requisites
Teaching Method
Seminar meeting twice per week
Evaluation Method
Essays, weekly reflections, discussion.
Class Materials (Required)
Bix, Brian. Jurisprudence: Theory and Context. Carolina Academic Press, 2019. (978-1-5310-1794-1)
Hart, H.L.A. The Concept of Law. Oxford UP, 2012. (978-0-1996-4470-4)