Seminar in Philosophy of Law

Catalog description

This course gives close attention to key themes in the philosophical analysis of legal systems, either historical or contemporary. Relevant issues may include the nature of law and its relation to morality, custom, and politics; the nature of constitutional interpretation and the role of judges; the purpose and limits of punishment; the possibility of international law and rights-enforcement; the connection between legal arrangements and social or economic inequality; the differences between types of legal system (e.g., common law, statutory, ecclesiastical); and the idea of progress in law. Students will gain a deeper understanding of select issues they may have studied in PHIL 105 ; develop skills of reading, comprehension, critique, and expression; and continue to appreciate the value of philosophical approaches to (at times problematic) human institutions.