Corporation in US Law and Culture (315-0-1)
Instructors
Nicolette Isabel Bruner
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
A corporation is its own person under the law, separate from those whom it employs or who may own its stock. How did this happen, and what does it mean for the humans who live and work alongside corporations every day?
In this course, we will trace the evolution of the corporate person in the United States from the colonial era to the present. Our focus will be twofold: the evolving legal rights and responsibilities of the corporation, and the role that the corporate person has played in the American cultural imagination. To that end, we will read court cases and law review articles as well as novels and cultural ephemera. By the end of the quarter, we will have developed a deeper appreciation of the persistent and evolving problems of corporate personhood and corporate social responsibility, both from a business and a consumer perspective.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
--Explain how the corporate form and its uses changed in the United States from the colonial era to the present day.
---Critically engage with literary works about corporations and their historical context.
---Read and understand major Supreme Court cases relating to the corporation.
---Understand major theories of corporate personhood, their relationship to caselaw, and how these changed over time.
Teaching Method
Seminar twice per week.
Evaluation Method
Essays, short writing assignments, class discussions.
Class Materials (Required)
Winkler, Adam. We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights. Norton, 2018. (ISBN: 978-1631495441)
Chesnutt, Charles W. A Business Career. UP of Mississippi, 2005. (ISBN: 1578067618)
Whitehead, Colson. Apex Hides the Hurt. Anchor, 2007. (ISBN: 9781400031269)
All other readings available on Canvas.
Class Attributes
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area