Philosophy Department

1200 Academy St. Kalamazoo, MI 49006

 THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

 WINTER, 2005

Professor: Chris Latiolais
201 Humphrey House
337-7076 (Office)
337-7043 (Secretary)

Office Hours:
   1) Mon. 9:30 - 11:30
   2) Tues. 10:30 - 11:30
   3) By Appointment.
 

TEXTS:

 1.  Joel Feinberg & Jules Coleman (eds.): Philosophy of Law (Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2004).

 2.  Andrew Altman: Arguing About Law: An Introduction to Legal Philosophy (Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2001)

 3.  (Recommended) Andrew Altman: Critical Legal Studies: A Liberal Critique (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 1990).

 4.  Juergen Habermas: Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy (The MIT Press, 1996).

COURSE GOALS:

  This course is an introduction to some basic issues in the philosophy of law.  In the first, historical part of the course, we will review the traditional schools of thought concerning the origin and justification of legal systems, from theological and natural-law theories to legal positivism, formalism and realism.  The second part of the course examines, in some detail, a contemporary challenge to the traditional idea that "the rule of law" should be impartial and objective: the Critical Legal Studies movement. In the third part of the course, we will examine the most sophisticated attempt to move beyond the basic schools of jurisprudence discussed in the first two parts of the course. 

EVALUATION:

  Students will be evaluated on the basis of class participation, weekly article briefs, and a final paper.  

Class Participation		30%
Weekly Briefs of Articles	10 at 5% each	50%
Final Paper	10-12 pages	20%

 

POLICIES:

    Open, respectful, critical discussion is crucial to this seminar, and a considerable portion of the grade is based upon students' preparation for such participation. Journals allow students to prepare detailed notes for classroom discussions, and quizzes offer students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of basic concepts and arguments.  The final paper is due on the date scheduled for the final examination.  3 unexcused absences will result in a full grade reduction.

INTRODUCTION:

TUESDAY                                                                                          WEEK ONE

1.  Course Mechanics

2.  Introductory Lecture on the the philosophical study of law.

PART ONE: THE NORMATIVE FOUNDATIONS OF LAW: NATURAL LAW THEORY AND LEGAL POSITIVISM.
 

THURSDAY.

1.  Brian Bix: "Natural Law Theory" (1996)

2.  Lon Fuller: "Eight Ways to Fail to Make a Law" (1964)

3.  Altman: "The Rule of Law"

A.  THE HART-FULLER DEBATE:

TUESDAY                                                                                                   WEEK TWO
1.  John Austin: "A Positivist Conception of Law, from The Province of Jurisprudence Determined" (1832).

2.  H.L.A. Hart: "A More Recent Positivist Conception of Law, from The Concept of Law" (1961).

3.  H.L.A Hart: "Positivism and the Separation of Law and Morals." (1958).

4.  Altman: "Law and Morality"

THURSDAY:

1.  Lon L. Fuller: "Positivism and Fidelity to Law -- A Reply to Professor Hart" (1958)

2.  Ronald Dworkin: "The Model of Rules" (1967)

3.  Riggs v. Palmer (1889)

4.  Jules L Coleman and Brian Leiter: "Legal Positivism" (1996)

5.  Quiz #1
 

B.  THE MORAL OBLIGATION TO OBEY THE LAW

TUESDAY                                                                                             WEEK THREE

1.  Plato: Crito

2.  Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963)

THURSDAY

1.  M. B. E. Smith: "Is There a Prima Facie Obligation to Obey the Law"

2. Scott J. Shapiro: "Authority" (2002)

3. Quiz #2.

C.  LAW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE JUDGE

TUESDAY                                                                                                  WEEK FOUR

1.  O. W. Holmes, Jr. "The Path of the Law" (1897)

2.  Jerome Frank: Legal Realism, from Law and the Modern Mind (1963)

3.  Ronald M. Dworkin: "Integrity in Law" (1986)

4.  Lon Fuller: "The Case of the Speluncean Explorers" (1949)

THURSDAY:

1.  John Hart Ely: "Discovering Fundamental Values" (1980)

2.  David Lyons: "Constitutional Interpretation and Original Meaning" (1987)

3. Altman: "The Constitution"

4. Quiz #3.
 

TUESDAY                                                                                                 WEEK FIVE

1.  Antonin Scalia: "Common-Law Courts in a Civil-Law System: The Role of United States Federal Courts in Interpreting the Constitution and Laws" (1997).

2.  Ronald Dworkin: "Comments" (1997)

3.  Quiz #4.

D.  FEMINIST CONCERNS IN JURISPRUDENCE:

THURSDAY:

1.  Kim Lane Scheppele: "The Reasonable Woman" (1991).

2.  State v. Rusk -- Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1981.

3.  Regina v. Morgan -- House of Lords, 1976.

4.  State v. Kelly -- Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1984.

5.  Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County -- United States Supreme Court, 1981.

6.  Altman: "Feminism and the Law" (Altman, pp. 199-238).
 
7. Quiz # 5.  

E.  THE CHALLENGE OF CRITICAL LEGAL STUDIES:
 

TUESDAY:                                                                                              WEEK SIX

1.  Altman: "Critical Legal Studies" (Altman, pp. 284-310).

2.  Andrew Altman: "Critical Legal Studies v. Liberalism" & "Liberalism and Legality" (Chapters
     One and Two of CLS). [Recommended]

THURSDAY:

1.  Critical Legal Studies (Cont.).

2.  Andrew Altman: "The Possibility of the Liberal Rule of Law" (Chapter Three of CLS)
     [Recommended].

3.  Andrew Altman: "The Contradictions of Law" (Chapter Four of CLS) [Recommended].

4.  Andrew Altman: "Law and Social Reality" (Final Chapter of CLS) [Recommended].

5.  Quiz # 6.

PART 2: THE DISCOURSE THEORY OF LAW AND DEMOCRACY

TUESDAY:                                                                                WEEK SEVEN

1.  Habermas: "Law as a Category of Social Mediation between Facts and Norms"

THURSDAY:

1.  Habermas: "Law as a Category of Social Mediation between Facts and Norms" (Continued)

2. Quiz #7.
 

TUESDAY:                                                                                   WEEK EIGHT

1.  Habermas: "A Reconstructive Approach to Law 1: The System of Rights"

THURSDAY:

1.  Habermas: "A Reconstructive Approach to Law 2: The Principles of the Constitutional State"

2. Quiz #8
 

TUESDAY:                                                                                        WEEK NINE

1.  Habermas: "The Indeterminacy of Law and the Rationality of Adjudication

2.  Quiz # 9.

THURSDAY:

1.  Habermas: "Judiciary and Legislature: On the Role and Legitimacy of Constitutional Adjudication"

2.  Quiz #10.
 

TUESDAY:                                                                                       WEEK TEN

1.  Habermas: "Paradigms of Law"

THURSDAY:

     1.  Student Evaluations.
 

FINALS WEEK