486 Jurisprudence (Acorn)

LAW486

Jurisprudence: The Drama of Justice – Greek and Shakespearean Drama and the Law 

(Acorn)

Prerequisite courses: 

Prerequisite for:

Instructor(s): Professor Annalise Acorn

Course credit: 3

Method of presentation: Lecture

METHOD OF EVALUATION

The primary method of evaluation in this course will be one 5,000 – 6,000 word paper worth 70% of the grade.

Participation worth 30% of the grade

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores issues of justice, law, conflict and dispute resolution through Shakespearian and Greek drama. “The play’s the thing” that will lead us into questions of redress of wrongdoing, the obligation to obey the law, procedural justice and the efficacy of the trial, the relation between justice, reciprocity and revenge, as well as timeless questions about discrimination against outsiders. The course will encourage a love of and appreciation for the great theatre and the contribution it makes to our shared understandings of the authority of law, the nature of justice, the relation between justice and revenge, reciprocity and the timeless question of who is owed what by whom. Shakespearian plays will include Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear. Greek plays will include Aeschylus, The Orestia, Euripides, Medea, and Sophocles Theban Plays. Students will be encouraged to view films of these plays. The full BBC collection of Shakespeare’s plays on DVD is available on reserve in the Weir Law Library. Students will be encouraged to access this resource and other film versions of the plays.

SPECIAL COMMENTS

Description updated 2019-20. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.

REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY)