PHIL 311: Philosophy of Law

PHIL 311-001: Philosophy of Law
(Spring 2023)

03:00 PM to 04:15 PM TR

Innovation Hall 133

View in the schedule of classes

Section Information for Spring 2023

What gives the state the authority to punish criminals? How does a judge know which way to rule in a case? Is an unjust law still a law? How should we manage the tension between civil liberties and civil rights? In this course, we will look at how we should ask these fundamental philosophical questions about the law and how we should answer them. We will consider four broad areas of inquiry: the political morality of law, the nature and value of law, criminal law and punishment, and constitutional law. The main course objective is for you to be able to understand, analyze, and criticize arguments made by legal philosophers and judges.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Investigation of theories of natural law, legal positivism, and legal realism as they pertain to some of the central philosophical questions about law. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.