PHIL 290 - Philosophy of Law

Institution:

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Subject:

Description:

3 Credits This course explores fundamental questions concerning the nature of law and the relation between law and justice. It examines questions concerning the source of the obligation to obey law, the limits of the obligation to law, and the moral conditions that make law possible. This exploration leads to an examination such of different judicial philosophies of constitutional interpretation as original intent, judicial restraint, and judicial activism. The course continues with a study of some perplexing questions about the meaning of equality and justice as they arise in legal cases dealing with race and/or gender. It examines various philosophies of punishment and questions notions of crime and harm as well as contract and agreement.It concludes with an investigation of the moral basis of international law by way of a critical analysis of the Nuremberg Trial and with an exploration of the basis for justice in reconciliation by way of a critical analysis of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commissions.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.umb.edu

Phone Number:

(617) 287-5000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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