Time Schedule:
Tuna A. Kuyucu
LSJ 363
Seattle Campus
Inquiry into how law matters in social practice. Examines general theories of law, the workings of legal institutions, and the character of legally constituted practices and relationships in diverse terrains of social life. Offered: jointly with POL S 363.
Class description
Course Title: Law, Politics, and Power: Critical Approaches to the Study of Law in Social Contexts
This course explores the complex and multifaceted relationship between systems of social inequality and the 'legal field'. It tries to understand the various ways in which law, both as an institution and as a normative system, reproduces, perpetuates and challenges social inequalities across racial, gender and class lines. Throughout the quarter, we will explore 4 main traditions within the field of Law and Society Studies that focus on the relationship between law and inequality. These are: Legal Realism, Marxism, Critical Legal Studies, and Legal Mobilization. Most of the empirical cases and examples we will discuss are from the United States, but we also occasionally will focus on cases from other countries and contexts.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
The course will primarily be based on lectures and student participation. Since our meetings are long (2.5 hours) it is very important that students come to class with adequate preparation, and ready to participate.
Recommended preparation
There are no prerequisites for the course. However, some background in political theory will be helpful.
Class assignments and grading
There will be 3 short response papers, a final exam, and several quizzes.
