NOTE: This course is cross-listed with the History (HIST) department. Some classes may overlap with the Law School final exam period.
The goals of this seminar are to think broadly about the character and role of law by considering law in historical perspective both in and beyond the United States; to provide students with an introduction to the field of legal history; to give students the opportunity to engage with leading scholars engaged in projects at the intersection of law and history and to contribute to field defining work in the making; and, for those who enroll in an additional one-credit of independent research (or Hist. 8644), an opportunity to engage in original research and writing in legal history. Guest speakers, their works and our other readings will encourage students to think comparatively about the role of law in defining the nature and limits of state power, with particular attention to rights and their limits. No previous knowledge of legal history is assumed; an interest in history is important.