Jurisprudence Seminar

3 units

This course provides a broad overview of jurisprudence as well as looks at concrete contemporary issues. The central theme will be to explore the implications of the rise and spread of an instrumental view of law in the U.S. legal tradition. The first few classes will focus on classic issues in legal philosophy, including the nature of law, natural law, liberal theory, and the rule of law. The final few classes will focus on contemporary theories and issues, including law and economics, critical legal studies, judicial appointments, legislative and administrative capture, etc. Students are required to write four papers during the semester, each 5 pages in length. The papers relate to the course material and class discussion. (These are not research papers.) Students may use ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence programs as a tool, but not to write their essay. (Further guidelines about AI will be provided in the first class.) The class is designed to help you hone your writing skills and ability to construct arguments, with detailed feedback provided on the papers. [BCCCR requirement: this course contains 3 hours of BCCCR instruction.]