Pol Sci 4020 - The Legal Landscape in a Changing American Society

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

This course is designed to examine the qualitative relationship between transformations in law in America and the structure of American values and behavioral patterns and in the institutions and culture of American law. The materials cover the structural aspects of the legal system and its place in American society and not the law's doctrinal features (i.e., the specific substantive areas of the law). Rather the course examines how the organization and functioning of the law incorporates the values and changes in the American society. To achieve this, the course topics include: (a) Americans' perceptions of their legal institutions and agents; (b) changing links between law and the mass media; (c) concerns about the jury system; (d) the use (and abuse?) of litigation and its alternatives (Alternative Dispute Resolution); (e) inequalities in access to the legal system; and (f) the transformations within the legal profession, both in law firms and in the careers of attorneys.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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