SOCIOL 182: Law and Society
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote: “The life of the law is not logic, but experience.” While law school curriculum focuses on legal doctrine, law-in-action often diverges from law-on-the-books. For instance, although civil rights laws make workplace discrimination illegal, such laws are not often enforced. This gap between law-on-the books and law-in-action has prompted social-legal scholars to examine the latter more closely. Adopting a law-in-action approach, this course examines the relationship between law and society. We will survey major theoretical perspectives and empirical studies that analyze the dynamics between law and legal institutions and their social, political, economic, and cultural contexts. Topics that will be discussed include but are not limited to: (1) concepts and theories of law and society; (2) the experiences of different actors in the legal system, particularly lawyers, judges, jurors, law enforcement agents, litigants, and citizens; (3) legal consciousness and legal culture; and (4) the relationship between law and social change.
SOCIOL 141: Contemporary Chinese Society
This seminar provides an overview of contemporary Chinese society. We will explore the profound transformations of the post-1978 reform period: China’s transition to a market economy, demographic change, urbanization, shifting patterns of stratification, growing inequality, the emergence of civil society, and the rise of contentious politics. The course will examine how these changes have impacted social relations, how they have been experienced and understood by individuals, and how, in turn, the responses of individuals have also shaped the trajectory of reforms.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote: “The life of the law is not logic, but experience.” While law school curriculum focuses on legal doctrine, law-in-action often diverges from law-on-the-books. For instance, although civil rights laws make workplace discrimination illegal, such laws are not often enforced. This gap between law-on-the books and law-in-action has prompted social-legal scholars to examine the latter more closely. Adopting a law-in-action approach, this course examines the relationship between law and society. We will survey major theoretical perspectives and empirical studies that analyze the dynamics between law and legal institutions and their social, political, economic, and cultural contexts. Topics that will be discussed include but are not limited to: (1) concepts and theories of law and society; (2) the experiences of different actors in the legal system, particularly lawyers, judges, jurors, law enforcement agents, litigants, and citizens; (3) legal consciousness and legal culture; and (4) the relationship between law and social change.
SOCIOL 141: Contemporary Chinese Society
This seminar provides an overview of contemporary Chinese society. We will explore the profound transformations of the post-1978 reform period: China’s transition to a market economy, demographic change, urbanization, shifting patterns of stratification, growing inequality, the emergence of civil society, and the rise of contentious politics. The course will examine how these changes have impacted social relations, how they have been experienced and understood by individuals, and how, in turn, the responses of individuals have also shaped the trajectory of reforms.
