Law and Literature, George Mason University

The class reads a variety of classic and contemporary texts to illustrate how law and legal problems are portrayed in literature. This is both an exercise in our understanding of law as well as a lesson in how to read texts. We also can think of a text as a kind of evidence, legal or otherwise. Grading is based on a combinations of papers; students have an option of one long paper or two or three shorter papers, focusing on the works read and key themes of the class. Readings change each year, but typical readings include the Bible, Shakespeare, Kafka, Melville, James, and others. 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.