Martha Nussbaum : Courses and Seminars
Greenberg Seminar: Gender, Power, and the Novel
LAWS 95972
The rise in popularity of the novel accompanies many developments in law and politics relating to the status and opportunities of women. We will discuss the way in which British novels of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reflect these developments but also give a rich and nuanced commentary on them. We will discuss: Daniel Defoe's MOLL FLANDERS; extracts from Samuel Richardson's CLARISSA; Wilkie Collins's NO NAME; Anthony Trollope's THE LAST CHRONICLE OF BARSET; and George Eliot's MIDDLEMARCH - along with the views of some key commentators. We will meet six times, twice during each quarter. The last meeting will be a festive play reading of a play from the period.
Autumn 2009
Martha Nussbaum, Alison LaCroix
Independent Research
LAWS 49901
Second- and third-year students may earn course credit by independent research under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Such projects are arranged by consultation between the student and the particular member of the faculty in whose field the proposed topic falls.
Winter 2010
Martha Nussbaum
Emotion, Reason, and Law
LAWS 99301
Emotions figure in many areas of the law, and many legal doctrines (from reasonable provocation in homicide to mercy in criminal sentencing) invite us to think about emotions and their relationship to reason. In addition, some prominent theories of the limits of law make reference to emotions: thus Lord Devlin and, more recently, Leon Kass have argued that the disgust of the average member of society is a sufficient reason for rendering a practice illegal, even though it does no harm to others. Emotions, however, are all too rarely studied closely, with the result that both theory and doctrine are often confused. The first part of this course will study major theories of emotion, asking about the relationship between emotion and cognition, focusing on philosophical accounts, but also learning from anthropology and psychology. We will ask how far emotions embody cognitions, and of what type, and then we will ask whether there is reason to consider some or all emotions "irrational" in a normative sense. We then turn to the criminal law, asking how specific emotions figure in doctrine and theory: anger, fear, compassion, disgust, guilt, and shame. Legal areas considered will include self-defense, reasonable provocation, mercy, victim impact statements, sodomy laws, sexual harassment, shame-based punishments. Next, we turn to the role played by emotions in constitutional law and in thought about just institutions - a topic that seems initially unpromising, but one that will turn out to be full of interest. Other topics will be included as time permits. College students may enroll only with the permission of the instructor.
Spring 2010
Martha Nussbaum
Cicero's De Officiis (On Duties)
LAWS 47801
This class will study one of the most influential works in the whole history of Western political thought, a primary foundation for modern ideas of global justice and the just war. We will understand it in the context of Cicero's thought and its background in Hellenistic philosophy, and we will also do readings in translation that show its subsequent influence. Prerequisite. To enroll for credit, you must have had five quarters of Latin or the equivalent preparation. Others may audit. The translating will always be done in the first hour of the class, so those who do not want to participate can arrive an hour late. Requirements: a midterm and a final exam, and a final paper.
Winter 2010
Martha Nussbaum
Independent Research
LAWS 49901
Second- and third-year students may earn course credit by independent research under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Such projects are arranged by consultation between the student and the particular member of the faculty in whose field the proposed topic falls.
Autumn 2009
Martha Nussbaum
Independent Research
LAWS 49901
Second- and third-year students may earn course credit by independent research under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Such projects are arranged by consultation between the student and the particular member of the faculty in whose field the proposed topic falls.
Spring 2010
Martha Nussbaum
Rawls on Justice
LAWS 51001
This course will study John Rawls's two great works of political philosophy, A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism, trying to understand their argument as well as possible. We will also read other related writings of Rawls and some of the best critical literature. In the latter third of the course we will examine critiques of Rawls from several points of view, including the capabilities approach of Nussbaum and Sen. Prerequisite: This course is open by permission of the instructor, and those who wish to attend should email me by September 20, giving me an account of your prior preparation in philosophy. In general, an undergraduate philosophy major or the equivalent preparation is a necessary (though not sufficient) condition, and in some cases I will ask to see a philosophy paper to assess your preparation.
Autumn 2009
Martha Nussbaum
Workshop: Law and Philosophy
LAWS 61512
This year's Law and Philosophy Workshop is on the topic Utilitarianism and the Law. This is a seminar/workshop most of whose participants are faculty from various area institutions. It admits approximately ten students by permission of the instructors. Its aim is to study, each year, a topic that arises in both philosophy and the law and to ask how bringing the two fields together may yield mutual illumination. There are twelve meetings throughout the year, always on Mondays from 4 to 6 PM. Half of the sessions are led by local faculty, half by visiting speakers. The leader assigns readings for the session (which may be by that person, by other contemporaries, or by major historical figures), and the session consists of a brief introduction by the leader, followed by structured questioning by the two faculty coordinators, followed by general discussion. Students write a 20-25 page seminar paper at the end of the year. Writing for this workshop may be used as partial fulfillment of the JD writing requirement (SWP for JD '10; SRP or WP for JD '11 and JD '12). The schedule of meetings will be announced by mid-September, and prospective students should submit their credentials to both instructors by September 20. Past themes have included: practical reason; equality; privacy; autonomy; global justice; pluralism and toleration; war; sexuality and family. Students are admitted by permission of the instructors. They should submit a c.v. and a statement (reasons for interest in the course, relevant background in law and/or philosophy) by September 20 to Nussbaum by e mail. Usual participants include graduate students in philosophy, political science, and divinity, and law students.
Autumn 2009
Martha Nussbaum, Adam Hosein
Workshop: Law and Philosophy
LAWS 61512
This year's Law and Philosophy Workshop is on the topic Utilitarianism and the Law. This is a seminar/workshop most of whose participants are faculty from various area institutions. It admits approximately ten students by permission of the instructors. Its aim is to study, each year, a topic that arises in both philosophy and the law and to ask how bringing the two fields together may yield mutual illumination. There are twelve meetings throughout the year, always on Mondays from 4 to 6 PM. Half of the sessions are led by local faculty, half by visiting speakers. The leader assigns readings for the session (which may be by that person, by other contemporaries, or by major historical figures), and the session consists of a brief introduction by the leader, followed by structured questioning by the two faculty coordinators, followed by general discussion. Students write a 20-25 page seminar paper at the end of the year. The course satisfies the Law School Writing Requirement. The schedule of meetings will be announced by mid-September, and prospective students should submit their credentials to both instructors by September 20. Past themes have included: practical reason; equality; privacy; autonomy; global justice; pluralism and toleration; war; sexuality and family. Students are admitted by permission of the instructors. They should submit a c.v. and a statement (reasons for interest in the course, relevant background in law and/or philosophy) by September 20 to Nussbaum by e mail. Usual participants include graduate students in philosophy, political science, and divinity, and law students.
Spring 2010
Martha Nussbaum, Adam Hosein
Workshop: Law and Philosophy
LAWS 61512
This year's Law and Philosophy Workshop is on the topic Utilitarianism and the Law. This is a seminar/workshop most of whose participants are faculty from various area institutions. It admits approximately ten students by permission of the instructors. Its aim is to study, each year, a topic that arises in both philosophy and the law and to ask how bringing the two fields together may yield mutual illumination. There are twelve meetings throughout the year, always on Mondays from 4 to 6 PM. Half of the sessions are led by local faculty, half by visiting speakers. The leader assigns readings for the session (which may be by that person, by other contemporaries, or by major historical figures), and the session consists of a brief introduction by the leader, followed by structured questioning by the two faculty coordinators, followed by general discussion. Students write a 20-25 page seminar paper at the end of the year. The course satisfies the Law School Writing Requirement. The schedule of meetings will be announced by mid-September, and prospective students should submit their credentials to both instructors by September 20. Past themes have included: practical reason; equality; privacy; autonomy; global justice; pluralism and toleration; war; sexuality and family. Students are admitted by permission of the instructors. They should submit a c.v. and a statement (reasons for interest in the course, relevant background in law and/or philosophy) by September 20 to Nussbaum by e mail. Usual participants include graduate students in philosophy, political science, and divinity, and law students.
Winter 2010
Martha Nussbaum, Adam Hosein
