Law & Economics Colloquium Seminar

3 units

The Law & Economics Colloquium offers students a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge legal scholarship. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss seven new working papers by leading legal scholars. The papers will cover a range of legal topics and empirical and theoretical approaches. For each paper, our discussion will take place over two weeks. During the first session, we will discuss the paper and relevant background literature, including a discussion of methods and purpose of the research enterprise. These sessions are guided by the instructors and a group of students who present and critique the paper's questions, methods, and conclusions. During the second session, the author will visit our class to present and respond to questions about the paper. Students are expected to be active participants in these discussions, which will be joined by other law faculty and members of the WashU community. Grades are based on (1) a series of response papers which will be reviewed and commented on for persuasiveness, organization, and clarity of the writing, (2) an in-class presentation, and (3) participation in discussions. No background in economics or statistics is required or expected.