Text: Frederick Shauer and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, editors, The Philosophy of Law: Classical and Contemporary Readings with Commentary.

Course Description

Law and morality are deeply related; both are systems of rules (rational rules, ideally) governing human behavior. We will begin with a mini-course in basic moral theory. Then, we will examine as many of the following topics as time allows: the nature of law (natural law theory and legal positivism); principles of legal reasoning and the interpretation of legal texts; theories of punishment and responsibility; the nature and source of rights; the right to liberty and its limitations; basic principles of American Constitutional Law; the alleged Constitutional right to reproductive "privacy" or autonomy; theories of justice and equality.

The course will be conducted in lecture-and-discussion format. Reading assignments will be announced in class. There will be two takehome, essay-type exams (midterm and final). Your course grade will be a rough average of your grades on the two exams. Quality class participation may improve your grade.