Law and Justice: International Literary Perspectives, Temple University (Beasley)

Of what does justice consist? One important component is decision according to rule, rendered by a neutral, impartial decision-maker. But the rule of law ideal does not exhaust our conceptions of justice. When rigidly applying rules seems unduly harsh, justice may consist of showing mercy. Or an occasion might seem to require an empathetic rather than an impartial decision-maker. And, sometimes, focusing on results rather than on procedure is important. Drawing upon literature—short stories, novels, plays, from several countries, this course will examine competing images of just outcomes and procedures. Through in-class discussions, simulations, and writing exercises, students will bring these differing images to bear on an actual legal case in order to see how alternative ideas of justice might affect how lawyers understand and perform their work. 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.