Laws of Violence

States kill. Law enforcement officers may kill to protect innocent victims. The military kills to protect the nation. And a handful of states still impose the death penalty. These are all lawful killings. This seminar introduces the basic elements of conventional theories of law and state, and explores the centrality that legalized violence plays in both the constitution of law and the state. The goal of the seminar is to identify and examine the constitutive though unstable relation between law and violence. Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors.