Spring 2010 Course Schedule

US Legal History I (LAW-606-001)
May, J.

Meets: 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM (TTH) - Room 500

Enrolled: 16 / Limit: 18

Administrator Access


Notices

There are no notices at this time.

Description

Explores the interaction of American law and society primarily from the Revolutionary War and New Republic era through post-Civil War reconstruction, with a brief introductory overview of colonial developments. Examines the origins, evolution, and impact of major constitutional, statutory, and private law developments in this period. Specific topics include changes in understanding and operation of basic constitutional rights; the evolving scope of governmental power and relationship between federal and state authority; legal promotion and regulation of American economic life, particularly through the development and application of property, tort, and contract law; the changing legal and social status and activity of women, African-Americans, and industrial workers; evolving ideas and practices regarding crime and criminals; and the history of the legal profession.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

First Class Readings

For our first class session, please read: (1) David M. Walker, “Ancient Law” in David M. Walker, The Oxford Companion to Law 55-60 (1980) (copies of this article are available on library reserve as well as electronically in the Course Documents section of the MyWCL site for this course); (2) Kermit Hall and Peter Karsten, The Magic Mirror 7-9 (middle) (2d ed. 2008); and (3) J.H. Baker, An Introduction to English Legal History 1-17 (4th ed. 2002) (copies of the extract from J.H. Baker also are available on library reserve as well as electronically in the Course Documents section of the MyWCL site for this course; we will the read the remainder of the extract for our second class)

Syllabus

Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):