LAW-2260 Legal History Seminar
This course will introduce students to select topics in American legal history from the founding period to the present. It will touch on major themes in the transformation of American law from local self-governing federalism to the rise of the modern, centralized, administrative state. Topics will include: originalism and the creation of the constitution, law and economic growth, the emergence of civil rights and civil liberties, the development of public policy and social welfare, the rise of the administrative regulatory state and the contemporary relevance of legal history. We will explore the law internally, examining changes in doctrine over time, as well as externally, exploring how the law is influenced by and in turn influences the larger social world around it. Students will be required to complete the weekly reading and participate in class discussions. Class participation, which includes a small number of short reaction papers based on the week's reading, will constitute 20% of the final grade. The remaining 80% of the final grade will be based upon a final paper, which may be used to complete the law school's Legal Writing Requirement.