THE SUPREME COURT
Law 529A
Political Science 530

Purpose. This seminar has two basic purposes: to introduce law and graduate students to the state of the art in legal and social-scientific studies of the Supreme Court and to cover a series of particular topics, with emphasis on the major controversies in the field. Since I am also interested in promoting a dialogue between J.D. and Ph.D. students, I will have you work in small teams—both in class and for your paper.

Readings. Please purchase:

1. Epstein, Lee and Jack Knight. 1998. The Choices Justices Make. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
2. Segal, Jeffrey A. and Harold J. Spaeth. 2002. The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model. Cambridge University Press.

Grades. I base your grades on class participation (about 50%) and a research paper (about 50%).

Click here for the course outline.
Click here for information about the research paper.