Law in and of Film, Southern Methodist University (Dedman)

Considers how law, within both formal and informal regulatory regimes, is depicted in fictional and non-fiction films. The most typical types of films considered are courtroom dramas. Another legal film genre discussed is the proliferating practice of filming interactions wherein people are accused, rightfully or wrongfully, of law-breaking. The uploading and sharing of videos documenting many of these incidents via social media allows what would have otherwise been hidden to become “viral”. Also addresses the law of film, how law regulates film and the people engaged with the film industry, chiefly by looking at formal public and private law norms as well as informal, quasi-legal/sub-legal industry norms such as the Hays Code (one of the earliest voluntary film industry regulatory codes) and movie studio morality clauses. Considers some issues that illustrate the law of film, such as prohibitions on interracial sexual relationships and sexual assault cases involving film figures dating from the silent era to the modern film era, and covers film industry figures from Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle to Harvey Weinstein. Students are required to view films, read a variety of sources, including scholarly articles and texts, and engage in analytical discourse based on the films, assigned readings, and writing assignments. 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.