Berkeley Legal Studies

Terms offered: Spring 2010, Fall 2008, Spring 2008 This course focuses on the history of legal thought and discourse from the late Middle Ages to the Enlightenment. Topics to be examined include the relationship between legal thought and intellectual developments, as well as the relationship between political and constitutional developments and legal discourse. Although the focus is on England, there will be a reflection on the differences between English legal thought and the legal thinking of continental Europe. Legal Discourse 1500-1700: Read More [+] Promote civic engagement and appreciation of the values at stake in legal matters: In accordance with the mission of a public university, the major will develop informed and engaged citizens with sufficient knowledge and background to participate in civil society institutions and the development of law and policy during and after their studies at Berkeley. This participation could take many forms, including interaction with civil servants, bar membership, work for legal institutions, participation in political analysis, advocacy, building social movements, organizing communities, political activism, etc. Civic engagement includes examining the relationship between law and justice and understanding how the law affects the public interest and social benefits. Introduces students to the crucial ethical issues facing lawyers and the legal community. Topics include access to justice; problems in the relationship between lawyer and client; and ethics in a particular context, such as criminal law, government law and corporate law. Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 This course will explore the relationship between social movements and the law: it will focus on the immigrant rights movement, increasingly led by undocumented activists. It will ask how legal action – laws, regulations, court decisions and enforcement policies and practices, both at the state and federal levels – led to the formation of a social movement, and how that movement sought to influence, resist and transform the law. Law and Social Change: The Immigrant Rights Movement: Read More [+] Offering Education in the Humanities: The Major will continue to have a liberal artistic orientation. Students learn to analyze and understand legal rules and legal institutions, but from a broader perspective than is typically the case in a traditional law school.

Terms offered: Fall 2019, Spring 2018 This course explores philosophical topics related to the nature of law and its relationship to morality: for example: What is law – is its claim based solely on social processes, or does the law necessarily embody moral claims? Do we have an obligation to obey the law? What are the moral limits of legal punishment? The course will sharpen students` practical thinking skills by analyzing logical arguments. The material consists of readings of the assigned text and additional readings available on bCourses. The format will be a combination of lectures and classroom discussions, with a significant number of group debates and unrated simulations. Philosophy of Law: Read More [+] Terms and Conditions: Spring 2023 This course first introduces students to the origins of the problem of access to justice, paying attention to the different effects according to race, class and gender. It examines how the costs of legal services and thus of teaching in law school have increased steadily over the past decades. Through historical and comparative case studies, students are encouraged to think creatively about who can represent individuals in law. Other sources of inspiration come from contemporary case studies outside of North America and Europe. Finally, students will have the opportunity to conduct a guided research project on a historical, comparative or contemporary aspect of access to justice that will help shed light on possible solutions today. Access to Justice: Comparative and Historical Perspectives: Read More [+] Terms and Conditions: Fall 2022 This course examines the history of U.S.

monetary law from its inception to the emergence of cryptocurrencies. We begin with a discussion of monetary issues in colonial times and during the American Revolutionary War. We then look at the framework established in the Constitutional Convention. We cover the 19th century and the New Deal Supreme Court cases that shaped American monetary law as we know it today. Finally, we discuss contemporary legal dilemmas such as regulating Bitcoin and stablecoins, creating central bank digital currencies, circumventing the US debt ceiling, and debating the scope of the Fed`s legal authority. Finally, we would like to return to some classic questions about the nature and functions of money. Monetary Law and Regulation: Read More [+] Course Objectives: Students develop skills in creating business plans, negotiating, and dealing with complex issues that arise when running a business. Students learn the conceptual and theoretical elements of entrepreneurship. Students will learn how to approach starting an entrepreneurial business and identify the fundamental legal issues that need to be addressed at every step – from idea to exit.

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 1992, Spring 1991 This course examines the phenomenon of intimate partner violence (also known as family violence or family violence) by examining empirical evidence; theories of violence; and the different impacts on different communities. Through an intersectional and trauma-centered approach, students will be able to assess and analyze our legal system`s responses to this persistent and dominant social problem. Violence in Partnership and the Law: Read More [+] Conditions offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 This course focuses on developing countries and examines the relationship between legal institutions and rules – including informal and traditional – and development – defined by different actors through economic growth, education, health or a wide range of freedoms.