Law 792:  Law & Literature

This upper level course will examine points of intersection between literature and the law. The course takes a broad view of “literature,” incorporating not only novels, but plays, movies, television, podcasts, blogs, and nonfiction works within that term. Students will consider how legal practitioners shape narratives, ways in which literature conveys or frames legal developments and practice, and whether or when literature acts as a leading indicator regarding changes in the law.

 Sequence and Prerequisites: None.

 Evaluation: Class participation is an important component of this class; working in teams of two or three, students will lead discussion during one in-class conversation. Students will also complete a series of polls, short papers, or creative works, some of which will be published to the entire class, and will write a 6-10 page final paper, which will examine a Supreme Court opinion of their choosing in light of 1-2 roughly contemporary literary works.