Discussion (1L): Legal Institutions and/or Utopian Futures

Catalog description

People generally come to law school because they believe that law and legal institutions matter. Many think that the study of law will enable them to more effectively influence important social institutions. Some also come to law school hoping to use their law degrees to make the world better -- whatever that means to them. Contemporary left social movements offer a range of visions for what might make the world better, including (but certainly not limited to): abolishing police and prisons; developing a decarbonized economy; restructuring the economic order more generally; implementing systems for reparations and repair for racialized enslavement and dispossession; and opening borders. These visions exist alongside other, sometimes competing, ideas for how to make the world better. This seminar will interrogate the connection between law and hopeful visions for the future. We will engage in some critique of existing institutions, and of the limits of law, but the focus of the conversation will be creative envisioning, not critique. We'll explore the questions of whether and how it is possible to design legal frameworks that move toward more hopeful futures. Class meets 4:30 PM-6:30 PM on Oct. 4, Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Nov. 15. Elements used in grading: Full attendance, reading of assigned materials, and active participation.