Law and Society (206-0-20)
Instructors
Nicolette Isabel Bruner
Meeting Info
Fisk Hall 217: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
Law is everywhere. Law permits, prohibits, enables, legitimates, protects, and prosecutes. Law shapes our day-to-day lives in countless ways. This course examines the connections and relationships of law and society using an interdisciplinary social science approach. As one of the founders of the Law and Society movement 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, critical studies, and psychology) in order to explore the sociology of law and law\'s role primarily in the American context (but with some attention to international law and global human rights efforts). The thematic topics to be discussed include law and social control; law\'s role in social change; and law\'s capacity to reach into complex social relations and intervene in existing normative institutions and organizational structures.
Cross-listed with Legal_ST 206-0
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the overall structure of the US legal system and the major actors therein.
2. Apply major sociological and philosophical theories of law to events.
3. Assess how and why discrepancies form between the law as it is written and the law as it is practiced and obeyed.
4. Understand how law and society shape each other.
5. Employ an interdisciplinary approach to sociolegal studies.
Teaching Method
Lectures and discussion sections
Evaluation Method
Weekly quizzes, discussion board, essays
Class Materials (Required)
Calavita, Kitty. Invitation to Law & Society: An Introduction to the Study of Real Law. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2016. 978-0-226-29658-6
All other readings will be available via Canvas.
Class Attributes
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - Annenberg Hall G32: Tues 4:00PM - 4:50PM
DIS - Parkes Hall 215: Tues 4:00PM - 4:50PM
DIS - Technological Institute L150: Wed 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - University Hall 101: Wed 1:00PM - 1:50PM
DIS - Harris Hall L06: Wed 4:00PM - 4:50PM
DIS - University Hall 121: Wed 4:00PM - 4:50PM