U.S. Legal History

Catalog description

This course explores the legal history of what became the United States from the beginning of European colonization until the early twentieth century, focusing on the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It examines both the evolution of legal doctrine and the role of marginalized communities as targets, resistors, and creators of law. It emphasizes continental, borderlands, and transnational perspectives on U.S. legal history. Special Instructions: Students will have the option to choose either response papers (section 01) or a long research paper for R credit (section 02). Students in the R-paper section must also take a mandatory-pass, 1-credit writing group (TBD) the following spring quarter, unless enrolled in a clinic that term. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Automatic grading penalty waived for writers. Elements used in grading: Response papers or a final research paper.