LAW 640SEM - Trump and the Law

Seeking to create space for discussion and inquiry as we enter what seems likely to be ever more turbulent legal and political waters, this course will engage in three kinds of work: First, we will explore the historical antecedents of, and different ways of diagnosing, “Trumpism”. Trumpism has provoked a range of critiques through lenses of comparative authoritarianism, rule of law, populism, the demise (or highest stage of) neoliberal capitalism, among many others. Second, we will study in depth a select number of the legal controversies which the administration is confronting (litigation around Executive Orders, for example). Third, we will engage in conversations with several speakers (attorneys, community groups, etc.) who the Instructors will invite to campus to give public lectures (during class time is our intention) on the policies and politics of the new administration. Students will be expected to write a research paper, or they may have the opportunity to work on a practice-based project.

Credits: 3