Comparative Law

Catalog description

In this introductory course to the field of comparative law, we will consider a broad range of sociolegal challenges faced by democratic nations today, focusing most especially on Western Europe and the United States, and to a lesser extent on Latin America. How do different countries address the same core challenges? And to the extent that they adopt differing approaches, why do they do so--and how do they compare? We will study a range of legal institutions and practices, including such topics as legal education, the role of judges and judging, constitutional courts and judicial review, criminal procedure and punishment, and the rise and regulation of consumer culture. In contrast to the traditional comparative law course, we will also devote substantial time to such pressing public-law questions as racial equality and affirmative action, gender equality and sexual harassment, and church-state relations. In lieu of the final exam, students may opt to write a research (R) paper). After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), with consent of the instructor. Students taking the course for R credit can take the course for either 3 or 4 units, depending on the paper length. Elements used in grading: Class participation; and exam or research paper.