Tom Ginsburg
Visiting Professor of Law
1111 East 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
phone: 773-834-3087
email: tginsburg@uchicago.edu

Current Year Courses

• 50102 1 Comparative Constitutional Design
  Recent attempts at constitutional reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan have called new attention to the problems of institutional design of constitutional systems. In this course we will examine the design and implementation of national constitutions. We will begin by reviewing the historical roots of constitutions and investigate their provisions and formal characteristics. We will also discuss the circumstances surrounding the drafting of several exemplary or noteworthy constitutions, from various regions of the world. We will then examine particular features of institutional design in depth. These will include judicial review, presidentialism vs. parliamentarism, federalism, and the relationship of the national legal system to international law. The course concludes with an analysis of the factors that make constitutions endure. The basis for grading will be a series of short reaction papers and a mid-length research paper, totaling 25 pages.
  Spring (3) b
  
  
• 72901 1 Public International Law I
  This course is an introduction to public international law. The emphasis is on the interaction between international legal rules, on the one hand, and international politics, domestic politics, and historical factors, on the other hand. The course begins with the legal rules that constitute the international politico-legal system, such as the prerequisites and perquisites of the nation-state and the sources of international law, including customary international law and treaties. The course also covers the law of jurisdiction and immunities, international organizations, and the formal relationship between international and domestic law. Grading will be on the basis of an in-class final examination at the end of the course.
  Autumn (3)
  
  
• 72921 1 Public International Law II
  The course covers a series of specific topics in which interstate cooperation through law has been seen as useful, including international trade, international environmental law, the use of force, human rights, and international criminal law. It will also discuss the international legal issues involved in a number of major conflicts in the contemporary world. Public International Law I is not a prerequisite. Grading will be on the basis of an in-class final examination at the end of the course.
  Winter (3)
  
  
• 80901 1 East Asian Law
  This course will cover the East Asian legal tradition, primarily but not exclusively focusing on China and Japan. East Asia is well-known for its remarkable economic development in recent decades, but has also been the home of a long tradition of thinking about law in a way that differs from the assumptions of Western liberal democracy. The course begins by exploring this tradition, and then traces the history of legal institutions in the region, focusing on the encounter with Western legal systems beginning in the 19th century. We will then analyze the major institutions of criminal, civil and administrative law in postwar East Asia and their recent transformations. The focus of this course is not on particular areas of doctrine, but on the ideas and institutions that make East Asia distinctive. Grading will be on the basis of a take-home exam or research paper at the students discretion.
  Spring (3) b
  
  
• 95912 1 Greenberg Seminar: New Books on Foreign Relations
  In this seminar, we will read and discuss contemporary books on foreign relations. We will choose books as we go along, mainly on the basis of topicality. The first book is The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. Limited to 12 students.
  Autumn (1) a
  
  

Other courses taught include:

• International Law
• Comparative Legal Institutions
• Law and Economic Development
• Law and Society in East Asia
• Administrative Law
• Torts