Law and Society

A broad exploration of contemporary social-science scholarship on law and legal institutions, covering competing theoretical perspectives and drawing examples from diverse empirical settings. Lectures and discussions survey different ways in which social scientists study legal life, seeking contrasts and commonalities across the various perspectives. Coverage includes: Social-psychological models of rule-following and rule-breaking; social-structural linkages between law and the economy, stratification, and politics; and the dynamic relationship between law and social change--including the role of lawyers, judges and juries in giving law "independent causal significance." Strongly recommended: previous coursework in the social sciences.