Princeton may not have a law school, but it has a wide array of law-related courses, taught across a stunning variety of departments on campus. From the American constitutional law courses in the politics department, to the Roman law course in classics; from the anthropology, sociology, philosophy and economics of law, to legal history and the study of law and literature; from the international law courses in the Woodrow Wilson School to the English legal history courses in the history department, the Princeton campus offers a wide variety of courses on diverse aspects of the law. The listing below captures only those Graduate Courses, and Undergraduate Courses that are listed in the university's relatively permanent course catalogues. For the yearly variety of courses, see the current course listings on the LAPA website.

Graduate Courses

ECO 542 Regulation of Industry and Antitrust Policy

Professor: Staff

Theoretical and empirical study of public regulation and deregulation of rate of return, prices, and entry in public utilities and franchise oligopolies. Theory and practice of antitrust policy is examined, including some elements of antitrust law. In addition, regulation of product quality, advertising, and safety is examined. The course draws heavily on material developed in ECO 541.

FRE 527 Seminar in French Civilization

Professor: André Benhaïm, Marie-Hélène Huet

The role of political, legal, and economic institutions in the development of French society of the 19th and 20th centuries. The course studies writers actively involved in the political life of the country.

HIS 573 Readings in American Legal History, 1607 - 1977

Professor: Hendrik A. Hartog

A survey of the major secondary literature concerning the history of American law since the founding of the original colonies is the focus of this course. While attention is paid to the earlier tradition of narrowly legal scholarship, emphasis is given to more recent writing. The readings are organized around the major themes of social and economic history, especially in the late 18th to early 19th centuries.

Undergraduate Courses

ANT 342 The Anthropology of Law

Professor: Lawrence Rosen

Study of the relation between formal legal institutions and the social and cultural factors influencing their development. Western and non-Western systems compared in terms of their forms of judicial reasoning, implementation through law of moral precepts, fact-finding procedures, and dispute settlement mechanisms.

CLA 325 Roman Law (also HIS 329)

Professor: Edward Champlin

The historical development of Roman law and its influence on modern legal systems. Particular attention is given to the fundamental principles of Roman private law, including the law of persons, property, inheritance, and contract; and there is a close analysis of courtroom procedure. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

CLA 329 Sex and Gender in the Ancient World (also MED 329)

Professor: Janet Marion Martin

The theoretical and ideological bases of the Western attitudes toward sex and gender categories in their formative period in the Greco-Roman world through the study of myth and ritual, archaeology, art, literature, philosophy, science, medicine, law, economics, and historiography. Selected readings in classical and modern texts.

CLA 330 Greek Law and Legal Practice (also CHV 330)

Professor: Staff

The development of Greek legal traditions, from Homer to the Hellenistic age. The course focuses on the relationship between ideas about justice, codes of law, and legal practice (courtroom trials, arbitration), and the development of legal theory. Two 90-minute seminars.

COM 330 Literature and Law

Professor: Staff

An introduction to literature as a vehicle of thought about law, morality, and the tensions between them. Readings include ancient legal codes, selected biblical texts, Greek tragedies, Norse sagas, medieval satirical epics, Renaissance drama, 18th-century drama, and modern fiction. Emphasis on revenge codes, the shift from prelegal to legal societies, the Christianization of Germanic law, equity, contract, critiques of law and legal systems. One three-hour seminar.

ECO 324 Law and Economics

Professor: Thomas C. Leonard

An introduction to the economics of legal rule-making and enforcement. Application of elementary price theory and welfare analysis to problems and actual cases in the common law — property, contracts, torts — and to criminal and constitutional law. Topics include the Coase Theorem, intellectual property, product liability, deterrence, and social choice. Prerequisite: 100. Two 90-minute lectures.

ECO 385 Ethics and Economics (also CHV 345)

Professor: Thomas C. Leonard

Introduction to ethical issues in market exchange and in laws that regulate it. How ethical commitments evolve and influence cooperation. The moral dimension of low wages, price discrimination, distribution of resources, trade in inalienable property, and the separation of choice and consequence. As time permits, the influence of economic ideas on moral reasoning. Prerequisite: 100. Two 90-minute lectures.

ENV 310 Environmental Law and Moot Court

Professor: George S. Hawkins

Examining the relationship between law and environmental policy, this course focuses on cases that have established policy principles. The first half of the seminar will be conducted using the Socratic method. The second half will allow students to reargue either the plaintiff or defendant position in a key case, which will be decided by the classroom jury. One three-hour seminars.

HIS 323 Chinese Social Ideology in Transition

Professor: Staff

A survey of Chinese social thought from 1800 to the present. Focuses on the changing Chinese attitudes in the realms of statecraft, law, philosophy of knowledge, and literature, emphasizing the social forces and logic informing early enthusiasm and eventual rejection of the European traditions in each of these areas. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute class.

HIS 385 The Role of Law in American Society

Professor: Hendrik Hartog

An analysis of selected problems in the development of public and private law in America. Lectures and class discussion, based on primary source materials, will emphasize law as a product of socioeconomic change rather than as a system of reasoning. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

NES 345 Introduction to Islamic Law

Professor: Hossein Modarressi

A survey of the history of Islamic law, its developments, and the attempts of the Muslim jurists to come to terms with the challenges of modern time. The course will focus on the issues of constitutional, public, international, and personal laws that have the greatest relevance to the modern era. One three-hour seminar.

PHI 309 Political Philosophy (also CHV 309)

Professor: K. Anthony Appiah

A systematic study of problems and concepts connected with political institutions: sovereignty, law, liberty, and political obligation. Topics may include representation, citizenship, power and authority, revolution, civil disobedience, totalitarianism, and legal and political rights. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

PHI 384 Philosophy of Law

Professor: Gideon Rosen

Conceptual and moral problems in the foundations of law. Topics may include: morality and criminal justice; the justification of punishment; moral and economic problems in private law (torts and contracts); fundamental rights and constitutional interpretation. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

POL 317 Discrimination and the Law

Professor Beth K. Jamieson

How can law change (or reinforce) the ways in which race, gender, and sexual orientation affect status? This course examines the purposes of antidiscrimination law and asks if it is appropriate to extend antidiscrimination protection from race to other categories. Conflicts with tradition, autonomy of community, and liberty are also considered. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

POL 318 Law and Society

Professor: Kenneth Kersch

An exploration of the relationships between law and society, using judicial and other materials from the American legal system. Topics considered include the stages of legal development, law and morality, judicial decision making, formal resolution of disputes, social control through law, the political nature of law, and courts. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

REL 236 Introduction to Islam (also NES 236)

Professor: Shaun E. Marmon

The doctrines and practices of Islamic communities from the Prophet Muhammad up to and including the modern period. Topics covered include the Qur'an; Sunnis and Shi'is; Islamic law and philosophy; Sufism; Islamic art and architecture; Islamic understandings of physical space and time; the structure of Muslim households; gender issues; Islamic education; modern Islamic 'fundamentalist' movements. Materials include sources in translation, films, modern novels. Guest speakers representing diverse Muslim perspectives will be an important component. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

REL 347 Religion and Law (also JDS 347)

Professor: Leora Batnitzky

A critical examination of the relation between the concepts of 'religion' and 'law' as they figure in the development of Jewish and Christian law, as well as in contemporary legal theory. Particular attention to the ways in which, historically, theological debates play out in contemporary secular legal arguments about the value underlying law. Seminar.

WWS 306 Public Leadership and Public Policy (also POL 329)

Professor: Nathan Scovronick

Considers the intellectual (ethical and legal) frameworks for making leadership decisions on major public issues in the United States, as well as the operational frameworks for effective and responsible public leadership. Students review historical cases from federal and state government, discuss the policy decisions made in each case, and examine the decision-making processes in view of these frameworks. Two 90-minute seminars.

WWS 309 Media and Public Policy

Professor: Paul Starr

Introduction to communications policy and law, covering such topics as freedom of the press and the development of journalism; intellectual property; regulation of telecommunications, broadcasting, and cable; and policy challenges raised by the Internet and the globalization of the media.

WWS 326 Environmental Regulation: Law, Economics, and Public Policy (also ENV 326)

Professor: Staff

This course examines legal responses to environmental problems. Topics include: economic and noneconomic rationales for environmental regulation; the choice of regulatory tools; major federal pollution statutes; common law doctrines; liability for waste cleanup; the use of information as a regulatory tool; economic instruments such as marketable permits and pollution taxes; and international agreements, with a focus on global warming and international trade. One three-hour seminar.

WWS 327 Pharmaceutical Research and Health Policy (also CHM 443)

Professor: Clarence E. Schutt

Examines the process by which drugs are discovered, tested on human populations, and approved for sale. Analyzes the role of the Food and Drug Administration in guaranteeing the safety of medication, as well as the role of Congress in providing oversight, governing prices, and regulating competition. Examines the legal, political, and economic context in which health policy decisions are made in this area. Two 90-minute seminars.

Note to faculty: If you would like your course included or removed from this list, please email Sara Nephew Hassani at snephew@princeton.edu.