Law through Film, St. John's University

Film has the power to stimulate debate. This seminar affords an opportunity to explore jurisprudential issues and value systems through a critical examination of the narrative, historical context, and cinematic technique of films. Thus, this seminar explicitly challenges settled assumptions about law and justice. The films and accompanying reading assignments concentrate on three overlapping themes: defining community, apportioning fault, and distributing justice. In particular, the course highlights the lawyer's role as an "insider" with respect to these concerns, and evaluates the benefits and obligations conferred by that status. When offered during the Fall and Spring semesters, grades are based on two short papers, a research paper, presentation of the paper, and participation in class discussion. When offered during an intersession, grades are based on a final exam, discussion pieces, and class participation. 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.