POLI 218 Law and/Vs. Justice: The Rule of Law and Problems of (In)Justice

Explores major debates on the role and rule of law in society, with attention to efforts to use law to seek justice or respond to injustice. This includes engaging in three overlapping sets of conversations: What is law—its sources and functions—and how, where, and on whom does it operate? What is the "rule of law"—what is it for and whom does/can it serve and how? What are different ways that people and groups grapple with or respond to the role of law in injustice—including "the Nazi problem," "the slavery problem," the colonialism/imperialism problem, the Jim Crow/apartheid problem, etc—and what are the possibilities, challenges, and limits? Theoretical perspectives on the sources/origins and role of law in society will be considered as well as case studies and concrete examples that show how this tool is applied to particular challenges.