NOTE: This course is cross-listed with the Philosophy (PHIL) department. Some classes may overlap with the Law School final exam period.
This course will be a general survey course of the most important ideas, concepts, theorists, and schools of law in contemporary legal philosophy. The course will examine foundational legal questions relating to the nature of law, rights, justice, and punishment; questions relating to the connections between law and morality; and the proper understanding of legal reasoning, legal interpretation, and the role of judges. We will examine different schools of legal thought, including Natural Law Theory, Legal Positivism, Legal Realism, Feminist Legal Theory, and Critical Race Theory.