Law in the American Story

Catalog description

An examination of the law, legal structures, and American legal profession from the colonial period to the present. Students will deploy historical thinking while engaging with topics such as the influence of English common law on post-Revolutionary American jurisprudence, nineteenth century concepts of divorce and child custody, twentieth century debates about free speech on college campuses, and the dynamic history of American lawyers. Class, gender, race, and ethnicity serve as analytical lenses through which to enrich the historical exploration of the cultural, economic, political, and social aspects of law in America.