LAW 631SEM - Law & Government

Laws don’t implement themselves. Government must transform the pronouncements of lawmakers into realities on the ground. This seminar explores the relationship between law and government through a historical and comparative lens. We trace the roots of America?s administrative system, starting in England and moving to the United States. We inquire into the sometimes uneasy ways our administrative structures relate to our legal system, including the common law and the Constitution. We consider the place of administrative decision-making by unelected bureaucrats in a democracy. And we put our system in a larger context by investigating other ways that other countries, including those of Europe and Asia, understand and organize administrative governance. Students will gain a deeper understanding of both the roots of our government structure and its place in the contemporary world of competing nations. Students will choose a topic for sustained focus, producing a seminar paper in consultation with the instructors and with feedback from peers.

Credits: 3