LAW 413B: Law, Economics and Civil Society

This course introduces students to the study of law and law's relation to politics and economics in both theoretical and practical terms. We will begin with a discussion on the nature of law, economics and politics, and proceed to investigate how different interpretations of these three terms lead to remarkably different conclusions regarding the proper relationships between and among them. We will begin by asking 'What is law', This will be followed by 'What is economics' and 'What is politics', Along the way we will ask if law is divinely ordained. Is it a human invention? What is the role of reason in the realm of law? We will ask similar questions regarding the nature of both economics and politics. Ultimately we will try to situate a complex understanding of law, economics and politics into the larger framework of American social and political life.