This course explores the interplay between law, crimes, and social institutions like the family, the state, and political economy. More broadly, Law, Crime, & Society is an introduction to the uses of theory in the social sciences and the ways in which it relates to the world beyond the classroom. This class shows students how to employ abstract concepts as tools for explaining contemporary real world situations, and pushes them to reflect on and synthesize the full arc of their undergraduate learning experience in preparation for the demands of life after the University.

This course will explore the nature of freedom in the United States, focusing on constitutional guarantees founded in the historical role of the law. Issues covered will be Privacy, Obscenity, Race, War on Drugs, Freedom from and of Religion, Right to Counsel, and Search and Seizure. The objective will be to trace the evolution of these issues rooted in the Bill of Rights and Supreme Court doctrine. Case law will be read and analyzed in order to extract judicial theory. Scholarly arguments supporting and critiquing American jurisprudence will also be discussed.

This course is designed to help students improve their ability to analyze and write about complicated legal issues. You should expect to do a lot of writing in this course. You will learn how to read and understand court opinions and how to find your way around a law library. Writing assignments include your own resume and a job application letter, case briefs, memoranda, OP-ED essays, and a research paper. These assignments are written from the perspective of a lay person writing to another lay person.

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