Law & Literature, Yeshiva University (Cardozo)

How are lawyers portrayed in stories? How do lawyers use story-telling techniques in their work? What are the ethical implications of both these inquiries? This course, through a wideranging series of novels, short stories, films and legal materials, explores the ways in which literary art and literary skills inform the lawyer’s world. Readings for this course may include one or more of the following: Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Dickens, Great Expectations, Camus, The Stranger, Flaubert, A Sentimental Education, Doctorow, The Book of Daniel. Films may include: The Ox-Bow Incident, The Verdict, and The Sweet Hereafter. Complementing the discussion units will be legal material of a more traditional nature. Appellate opinions will be read that exemplify the lawyer-as outsider, legal reasoning and uses of history by lawyers and judges. An additional feature of the literary side of law is style. The student’s own writing is a part of the course. Students will be required to write a significant final paper. This information has been collected for the Post-Discipline Online Syllabus Database. The database explores the use of literature by schools of professional education in North America. It forms part of a larger project titled Post-Discipline: Literature, Professionalism, and the Crisis of the Humanities, led by Dr Merve Emre with the assistance of Dr Hayley G. Toth. You can find more information about the project at https://postdiscipline.english.ox.ac.uk/. Data was collected and accurate in 2021/22.