LGST 401(S) Senior Seminar: The Legal Palette
The great jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes claimed that people trained in law rarely appreciate art: works of genius would elude lawyers and judges because “their very novelty would make them repulsive.” As Holmes implies, in crucial respects law and art are opposites. The legal system aims at stability and reinforcement of social norms whereas at least some art seeks to destabilize and challenge prevailing norms. What happens when these worlds collide? This course explores the intersection of law and art in order to illuminate fundamental questions about America’s legal system. Does it strike an appropriate balance between preserving the social fabric and accommodating change? Or does law’s inherent conservatism inevitably impede the kind of free expression necessary for a thriving democracy?
Format: seminar. Requirements: active class participation, many short papers, and a substantially longer final paper.
Prerequisites: Legal Studies 101 and at least two Legal Studies electives, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 15-25).
Preference will be given, in order of seniority, to students for whom this course completes the Legal Studies concentration.
Hour: HIRSCH