SMNR: Law and Liberty
- Semester: Spring 2026
- Course ID: 397S
- Credit Hours: 3
-
Unique: 30195
Course Information
- Course Type: Seminar
- Grading Method: Pass/Fail Not Allowed
- Cross-listed with other school
Registration Information
- Upperclass-only elective
Meeting Times
| Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TUE | 3:55 - 5:45 pm | JON 6.257 |
Evaluation Method
| Type | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper |
Description
The legal system of a liberal democracy properly works to secure for all who are subject to its authority the blessings of liberty. This seminar will be a study of different conceptions and theories of the liberty that such legal systems are supposed to secure. Among the different conceptions the study will cover are those of negative liberty, positive liberty, and civic republican liberty, and it will cover in association with these the theories of classical liberalism, welfare state liberalism, and civic humanism. The readings and seminar discussions will focus on both conceptual questions about the nature of these different types of individual liberty and normative questions about which type or types ought a legal system of a liberal democracy secure and, if it ought to secure more than one, in what contexts ought one or another be given greater priority. Should freedom of contract, for example, prevail over freedom from exploitative labor practices?
Textbooks ( * denotes required )
ISBN: 978-0-19-829642-3
ISBN: 978-0-915144-43-3
ISBN: 978-1-107-64972-9
Deigh, John