ENGL 3762 - [Law and Literature]

(crosslisted) AMST 3764
(GLC-AS, LA-AS)

Spring. Not offered: 2023-2024. Next offered: 2024-2025. 3 credits. Student option grading.

This course counts toward the post-1800 requirements for English majors. Co-meets with ENGL 6710/GOVT 6045/LAW 6710.

E. Anker.

What can lawyers and judges learn from the study of literature? This course explores the relevance of imaginative literature (novels, drama, poetry, and film) to questions of law and social justice from a range of perspectives. We will consider debates about how literature can help to humanize legal decision-making; how storytelling has helped to give voice to oppressed populations over history; how narratives of suffering cultivate popular support for human rights; the role played by storytelling in a trial; and how literature can shed light on the limits of law and public policy.