HIST 382: Law and History

HIST 382-001: Law and History
(Fall 2025)

01:30 PM to 02:45 PM MW

Horizon Hall 3008

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Section Information for Fall 2025

What are rights, and how have they changed over time? How have social movements challenged unjust laws?  What role has the Supreme Court played in American history?  Answering these and related questions, this course provides an introduction to the historical study of the law.  Focusing primarily on the history of the U.S., and including some international comparisons, it explores how central problems and developments in the law have evolved from the founding to the present, paying particular attention to the way that laws have been shaped by their historical context.  Requiring no prior understanding of the law, the course introduces students to the histories of citizenship and rights claims, the changing role of the Supreme Court in democratic life, the trajectory and strategies of protest and reform movements, and the shifting relationships between personal identity and legal categories.

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Provides an introduction to the historical study of the law. Focusing primarily on the history of the U.S., and including some international comparisons, explores how central problems and developments in the law have evolved from the founding to the present, and how law is shaped by its historical context. Requiring no prior understanding of the law, the course introduces students to the histories of citizenship and rights claims, the changing role of the Supreme Court in democratic life, the trajectory and strategies of protest and reform movements, and the shifting relationships between personal identity and legal categories. Offered by History & Art History. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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