Undergraduate
Sociology of Law
Law is a distinctive and yet common part of everyday life in modern society. We begin by looking at the law’s distinctive role in the development of modern society and discuss seminal theories of the role of law in that complex process. Building on this theoretical foundation, we explore various lines of research in the sociology of law. The goal of this course is to understand the ways in which law shapes society and equally the ways in which law is a reflection, or mirror, back on society.
The Legal Profession
The goal of this course is to understand the organization of work in American society. We will examine this broad question through the lens of one profession, lawyers. We begin by thinking through what makes a profession, like law, different from other occupations, the development of the American legal profession, and the rite of passage—legal education—into the law. In many respects, issues facing the legal profession are a microcosm of American society, including policies and practices around (1) work and family and (2) the legacy of discrimination against women and minorities. These issues are examined in the class. We then turn to a consideration of sites of legal practice, from small to corporate firms and industry. We close by asking, what are the challenges facing the profession to ensure racial and gender equity within its own ranks?
Graduate
Law & Society I
Law & society is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that has been shaped by classical social and cultural theory as well as more pragmatic, policy oriented concerns. Today, some law and society scholars incorporate and/or build from a humanistic perspective, including cultural studies and critical theory. Given the contemporary breadth of law & society scholarship, there are many ways to frame this interdisciplinary field of inquiry. In this course, I approach the framing of the field of law & society from the perspective of the social sciences. But, the breadth of the field leaves open the question, is there a canon of law and society or law and social science?
Research Methods
The goals of this course are (1) to examine the steps required for framing an empirical research question guided by theory, (2) to introduce students to the range of research methodologies used by social scientists and (3) to examine the strengths and limitations of each. It is designed for Ph.D. students who wish to undertake research publishable in scholarly social-science journals. Little or no background in social scientific training is assumed. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a sound overview of research methodology as well as the tools to pursue specific methods in greater depth.