Law, Letters, and Society

The program requires course work in three areas, although there is a reasonably broad latitude both expected and permitted in satisfaction of the distributional requirement. There is a substantial writing requirement for all majors; majors are expected to produce substantial written work (sometimes called "the BA Paper") under the close supervision of a faculty member whose area of scholarly concern is related to the broad objectives of the program.
Students must apply in Spring Quarter of their first year to enter the program in their second year. Autumn Quarter 2018 matriculants only are eligible to apply to begin the program in 2019–20. Students who entered the College prior to Autumn Quarter 2018 will not be considered.
Application materials will be made available electronically on Friday of tenth week of Winter Quarter and must be submitted by noon on Friday of the first week of Spring Quarter. No applications will be distributed or accepted during spring break. Students are evaluated on the basis of the application statement and previous performance in the College. Because of the nature of the requirements of the program, a limited number of students can be admitted per year.
Course work is required in three areas. After successfully completing the Introductory Course, students must take two courses in Letters and two courses in Society. In addition, students must complete six other courses that, while not necessarily offered or listed formally under either rubric, are substantively supportive of the topics, areas, skills, or concerns of the two areas. Courses satisfying the additional requirement are identified on a quarterly basis, and final approval of additional required course work is made by consultation between the student and either the Associate Director or the Faculty Director.
The Introductory Course establishes the intellectual moorings of the program. The importance of the Introductory Course lies not in its content (indeed, its precise focus and scope may be different from time to time) but on its approach to the nature of law. Recently, for example, the Introductory Course has been LLSO 24200 Legal Reasoning, a study, based primarily on cases, of the classic conventions of legal argument in the Anglo-American legal system. In other years, the Introductory Course might be Roman Law or Greek Law, Medieval Law, or a text-based course on ancient legal philosophy, or a comparison of modern legal categories and policies with those of former societies and cultures. The objective is not so much to establish a historical foundation for modern studies as to demonstrate that legal systems are culturally rooted; that urgent, present concerns may obscure important characteristics of legal ideas and behavior; and that many recurrent themes in Western legal thought are shaped or driven by both common and uncommon features. Unlike many legal studies programs that attempt to orient study of the law primarily in contemporary debates, usually in the field of American constitutional law, the program seeks to organize its exploration of law as a system rather than as a forum or an instrument.
Students must also take two courses each in the Letters and Society divisions of the program, plus six other courses complementary to the required work, as outlined previously (the other six courses may be ones cross listed in the program or may be from other disciplines). Letters and Society are not meant as fixed or self-defining fields, but instead as organizational categories emphasizing two fundamental modes of examining law in a systemic fashion. Courses under the rubric of Letters (whether based in the program or in English, philosophy, or political theory) tend to be based on the study of literary and historical artifacts, such as cases, tracts, conventional literature, or other texts, and emphasize the ways in which law formally constitutes itself. Questions of interpretative and normative theory, rhetorical strategy, and the like are central to such courses. Society serves to organize studies from a variety of different disciplines (including history, political science, economics, and sociology) that try to measure, with different techniques and at different times, the effect of law on society. The combined objective is to treat law as an intellectual activity and as a phenomenon, and to emphasize that both occur in contexts that help to shape them, whether ancient or modern.
In addition to satisfying the course requirements, each student in the program must produce evidence of sustained research in the form of a substantial research paper during either the junior or senior year and obtain approval of a member of the faculty, although not necessarily a member of the program faculty. Papers may be written in conjunction with Law, Letters, and Society courses, under the auspices of reading and research courses, or in a Research Seminar. (The paper is an independent requirement, however, and need not be accomplished in conjunction with enrollment in a specific course.) The scope, method, and objective of the paper, as well as its length, are subject to negotiation between the student and the instructor.
Complementary courses are courses from other departments that support work done in the major. Some students prefer to concentrate their work on a specific issue or problem, e.g., urban politics and policy, historic societal discrimination, or the role of international institutions in policy implementation. Other students prefer to examine a series of discrete topics that are not directly related but that concern the operation of regimes of social control. Lists of pre-approved complementary courses are published quarterly, and students who believe that a course not so listed nonetheless supports work in the major may petition the program chair for approval at any time while enrolled in the course or within one quarter of completing the course. Courses taken in Autumn Quarter of the second year simultaneously with the Introductory Course may count as Complementary courses.
Students who wish to be considered for honors must notify the Faculty Director, Associate Director, and their faculty supervisor in writing no later than two quarters before the quarter in which they expect to receive their degree. Eligible students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.50 both overall and in the major, and they must write a distinguished research paper. The paper must be submitted by noon on Friday of fifth week in the quarter of proposed graduation (other papers must be submitted by noon on Friday of seventh week), and the student's faculty supervisor and a second reader must agree that honors are merited. It should be noted that honors are awarded sparingly.
For students with a legitimate interest in pursuing study that cannot be met by means of regular courses, there is an option of devising a reading and research course to be supervised by a member of the faculty and taken for a quality grade. Such courses may not be used to satisfy the requirements of either the two-course Letters or two-course Society requirements, but may be used to satisfy part of the other six required courses, with the written permission of the Faculty Director or the Associate Director obtained in advance of initiation of the work. Only two research courses may be used within the major. LLSO 29400 Research Seminar: LLSO may also be used as one of the six Complementary Courses.
Two of the six complementary courses required in the program may, with consent of instructor, be taken for Pass/Fail grading. Students who enroll in LLSO 29400 Research Seminar: LLSO, offered annually, beginning Autumn 2010, are graded on a P/F basis, and the seminar counts as one of the two P/F-graded complementary courses.
Students who wish to major in Law, Letters, and Society must register for LLSO 24200 Legal Reasoning in Autumn Quarter of their second year. This requirement is not negotiable. Students should note that, as an interdisciplinary major, the program has a strictly limited enrollment and that registration for the Introductory Course is determined during the preceding Spring Quarter. Upon deciding to major in Law, Letters, and Society, students should arrange to consult with the Faculty Director and the Associate Director on their course of study in the program. Students should continue to consult with their College advisers on general education degree requirements.
Please refer to the quarterly Class Search for the most up-to-date list of course offerings.
LLSO 20001. Theories of Sexuality and Gender. 100 Units.
This is a one-quarter, seminar-style introductory course for undergraduates. Its aim is triple: to engage scenes and concepts central to the interdisciplinary study of gender and sexuality; to provide familiarity with key theoretical anchors for that study; and to provide skills for deriving the theoretical bases of any kind of method. Students will produce descriptive, argumentative, and experimental engagements with theory and its scenes as the quarter progresses. Prior course experience in gender/sexuality studies (by way of the general education civilization studies courses or other course work) is strongly advised.
Instructor(s): L. Berlant, K. Schilt     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): Prior course experience in gender/sexuality studies (by way of the general education civilization studies courses or other course work) is strongly advised. Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 20001, ENGL 20001, SOCI 20290, CHDV 20001
LLSO 20116. Global-Local Politics. 100 Units.
Globalizing and local forces are generating a new politics in the United States and around the world. This course explores this new politics by mapping its emerging elements: the rise of social issues, ethno-religious and regional attachments, environmentalism, gender and life-style identity issues, new social movements, transformed political parties and organized groups, and new efforts to mobilize individual citizens.
Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30116, HMRT 30116, PBPL 27900, HMRT 20116, SOCI 20116
LLSO 20601. American Revolution, 1763 to 1789. 100 Units.
This lecture and discussion course explores the background of the American Revolution and the problem of organizing a new nation. The first half of the course uses the theory of revolutionary stages to organize a framework for the events of the 1760s and 1770s, and the second half of the course examines the period of constitution making (1776-1789) for evidence on the ways in which the Revolution was truly revolutionary.
Instructor(s): E. Cook     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): HIST 25300, HIST 35300
LLSO 20602. Early American Political Culture, 1600-1820. 100 Units.
This colloquium examines the culture and practice of political participation in early America, with a comparative look at early modern England. It traces the formation of a deferential, nonpartisan politics in the colonies, and its replacement in the Revolutionary era with politics that increasingly used political party as a means of democratic participation.
Instructor(s): E. Cook     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): HIST 38301, HIST 28301
LLSO 20803. Aristophanes's Athens. 100 Units.
The comedies of Aristophanes are as uproarious, biting, and ribald today as they were more than 2,400 years ago. But they also offer a unique window onto the societal norms, expectations, and concerns as well as the more mundane experiences of Athenians in the fifth century BCE. This course will examine closely all eleven of Aristophanes's extant plays (in translation) in order to address topics such as the performative, ritual, and political contexts of Attic comedy, the constituency of audiences, the relationship of comedy to satire, the use of dramatic stereotypes, freedom of speech, and the limits of dissent. Please note that this course is rated Mature for adult themes and language.
Instructor(s): J. Hall     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): ANCM 33900, CLCV 23608, HIST 30803, FNDL 23608, HIST 20803, CLAS 33608
LLSO 21001. Human Rights: Contemporary Issues. 100 Units.
This interdisciplinary course presents an overview of several major contemporary human rights problems as a means to explore the use of human rights norms and mechanisms. The course addresses the roles of states, inter-governmental bodies, national courts, civil society actors including NGOs, victims, and their families, and other non-state actors. Topics are likely to include universalism, enforceability of human rights norms, the prohibition against torture, U.S. exceptionalism, and the rights of women, racial minorities, and non-citizens.
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 21001, LACS 21001, INRE 31801, HMRT 31001, HIST 29304, LACS 31001, HIST 39304
LLSO 21002. Human Rights: Philosophical Foundations. 100 Units.
Human rights are claims of justice that hold merely in virtue of our shared humanity. In this course we will explore philosophical theories of this elementary and crucial form of justice. Among topics to be considered are the role that dignity and humanity play in grounding such rights, their relation to political and economic institutions, and the distinction between duties of justice and claims of charity or humanitarian aid. Finally we will consider the application of such theories to concrete, problematic and pressing problems, such as global poverty, torture and genocide. (A) (I)
Instructor(s): B. Laurence     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): MAPH 42002, HMRT 21002, HIST 39319, PHIL 21002, PHIL 31002, HIST 29319, HMRT 31002, INRE 31602
LLSO 21100. How Things Get Done in Cities and Why. 100 Units.
Innovation. Prosperity. Democracy. Diversity. Cities long have been lauded as unique incubators of these social features. In contrast to the national level, the smaller scale and dense diversity of cities is thought to encourage the development of civic solutions that work for the many. But cities are inhabited by distinct groups of people with divergent interests and varied beliefs about how to address countless urban issues, such as creating jobs, delivering education, ensuring safe neighborhoods, promoting environmental sustainability, and taking care of the vulnerable. Many groups and organizations have an interest in the outcomes of these processes. Some take action to try to shape them to their own advantage, while others have few chances to make themselves heard. This course examines dynamics of interest representation, decision-making, and inclusion/exclusion in the contemporary city, drawing insights from multiple disciplines and substantive domains. This course is part of the College Course Cluster program: Urban Design.
Equivalent Course(s): PBPL 25006, ENST 25006, SSAD 21100, SOCI 20294
LLSO 21212. Roman Law. 100 Units.
The course will treat several problems arising in the historical development of Roman law: the history of procedure; the rise and accommodation of multiple sources of law, including the emperor; the dispersal of the Roman community from the environs of Rome to the wider Mediterranean world; and developments in the law of persons. We will discuss problems like the relationship between religion and law from the archaic city to the Christian empire, and between the law of Rome and the legal systems of its subject communities.
Instructor(s): C. Ando     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): HIST 31004, SIGN 26017, CLCV 25808, HIST 21004, CLAS 35808
LLSO 22209. Introduction to Black Chicago, 1893 to 2010. 100 Units.
This course surveys the history of African Americans in Chicago, from before the twentieth century to the near present. In referring to that history, we treat a variety of themes, including migration and its impact, the origins and effects of class stratification, the relation of culture and cultural endeavor to collective consciousness, the rise of institutionalized religions, facts and fictions of political empowerment, and the correspondence of Black lives and living to indices of city wellness (services, schools, safety, general civic feeling). This is a history class that situates itself within a robust interdisciplinary conversation. Students can expect to engage works of autobiography and poetry, sociology, documentary photography, and political science as well as more straightforward historical analysis. By the end of the class, students should have grounding in Black Chicago's history and an appreciation of how this history outlines and anticipates Black life and racial politics in the modern United States.
Instructor(s): A. Green     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): CRES 37705, AMER 37705, HIST 27705, CRES 27705, HIST 37705, AMER 27705
LLSO 22214. The Legal Tender of Gender: Paradigms of Equality & Realities of Inequality in Gender & the Law. 100 Units.
This course will provide an introduction to the concrete legal contexts in which issues of gender and sexuality have been articulated and contested. Students will be asked to think critically about the intersections of law, society, and gender while considering both the potential and the limitations of our legal system. Students will explore how gender constructs law, and how law constructs gender. Through engaging with readings that span law and society, feminist legal theory, constitutional scholarship, and case law, students will be able to identify, situate, and debate some of the basic premises of what constitutes justice and equality in a liberal democracy. Readings will draw from primary and secondary resources related to gender & law in the US. While some court cases/case law will be read, our focus is on the broader relationship between law and society (no technical legal knowledge is required). We will study the evolution of our legal system's stance on topics including marriage/divorce, violence, discrimination, contraception/abortion, sexual orientation, privacy, Title IX, and more. Students will be invited to bring to bear a variety of feminist, queer, critical race, and intersectional tools on our discussions of the historical evolution of these issues and their current trends. Students will develop an original research paper, which will be workshopped throughout the quarter and will culminate in a symposium of students' original research on gender & law.
Instructor(s): Lara Janson     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 22213
LLSO 22401. Topics in Judicial Studies. 100 Units.
This seminar examines three topics in current judicial studies: the appointment process, judicial reputation, and ideological "drift." Two short papers are required.
Instructor(s): Dennis Hutchinson     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Consent only
LLSO 22402. Florentine Political Thought. 100 Units.
This course is devoted to the political writings of the giants of medieval and Renaissance Italian and specifically Florentine political thought: Petrarch, Salutati, Bruni, Bracciolini, Savonarola, Guicciardini and, of course, Machiavelli.
Instructor(s): J. McCormick     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 22402, PLSC 52402
LLSO 22403. Free Speech and the First Amendment. 100 Units.
This course will examine the Supreme Court's First Amendment jurisprudence, focusing on such issues as speech critical of the government, the hostile audience, classified information, libel, commercial advertising, obscenity, symbolic expression, campaign finance regulation and the freedom of the press
Instructor(s): Geoffrey Stone     Terms Offered: Spring.
LLSO 22612. Introduction to Political Philosophy. 100 Units e on parties in the United States, we will spend some time on...