Law in Authoritarian Regimes

1 credits · Law

This course examines the role of legal institutions and legality under authoritarianism. By surveying the modern institutional and political history of China, the Soviet Union, Singapore, and a few other authoritarian regimes, it asks whether, and under what conditions, autocratic governments nonetheless will wish to invest in legal professionalism, judicial independence, and law-centric modes of sociopolitical ordering. In doing so, the seminar will push a number of deeper inquiries into the nature of law and its core functional features. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, short responses papers (1-2 pages) required for the last three sets of readings.