PHI 317 Philosophy of Law in Global Perspective

3 hours 

This course asks the big philosophical question about the nature of law—what is it?  Students will consider problems of the nature and identification of law in post-colonial, post-revolutionary, traditional, customary, and international contexts.  The course will introduce particular problems drawn from struggles for justice in jurisdictions around the globe, and then look at how philosophers and legal theorists have tried to answer the what-is-law question in these contexts.  Critical perspectives on the nature and identification of law will emerge from inquiry into problems arising in particular jurisdictions.  Issues with the identification of law may be drawn from jurisdictions in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and theoretical perspectives may vary by semester.