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LAWS 3104

Critical Theory for Legal Studies: An Introduction

0.5 credit · Undergraduate

Introduction to the general contours of critical theory as it pertains to law and legal studies. The course will introduce key concepts and controversies in the field, identify specific theoretical debates, and consider what conceptual consequences follow from the elaboration of specific positions or arguments.

2026

Readings

  • Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic 2 LAWS 3104 A Winter 2026
  • Immanuel Kant, “What Is Enlightenment?” [1784] Practical Philosophy: The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant, ed. M. Gregor, Cambridge University Press,
  • G. W. F. Hegel, “Master-Slave Dialectic” in The Phenomenology of Spirit [1807], Oxford University Press, 1979: 113–119, paras. 186–196
  • Walter Benjamin, “The Lisbon Earthquake” [1931] and “The Mississippi Flood of 1927” [1932], Radio Benjamin, ed. Lecia Rosenthal, (Verso, 2021): 158–163 and 176–181.

Prerequisites & course information

Prerequisite(s): 1.0 credit in LAWS at the 2000 level. Lectures three hours a week.

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