Tom Ginsburg : Courses and Seminars
East Asian Law
LAWS 80901
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.
Winter 2010
Tom Ginsburg
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
Tom Ginsburg
Comparative Legal Institutions
LAWS 50101
This course is designed to examine a range of legal institutions from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. It is not a traditional course in comparative law, in that it focuses not so much on particular rules of substantive law but on the structure of different legal systems and the consequences of those structural differences for law and society. Readings will be drawn from legal and social science literature, including works from anthropology, economics, political science and sociology. The course will explicitly cover non-Western legal traditions to an extent not found in conventional comparative law courses. The course will conclude with reflections on what a comparative perspective tells us about American legal institutions. Course grades will be given on the basis of a take-home written exam, with a small component for class participation.
Spring 2010
Tom Ginsburg
International Human Rights
LAWS 96101
This course covers the substantive and procedural aspects of international human rights law. It includes discussion of the conceptual underpinnings of human rights, the structure of the United Nations System and the major international treaties, regional human rights machinery, and the interplay of national and international systems in enforcing human rights. There are no prerequisites. Grading will be on the basis of a take-home exam at the end of the quarter or a paper sufficient to satisfy the substantial requirement.
Autumn 2009
Tom Ginsburg
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
Tom Ginsburg
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
Tom Ginsburg
Comparative Judicial Politics
LAWS 51502
This seminar will survey the comparative literature on courts and politics. Readings will cover courts in the European Union, East Asia, the former Soviet Union and Latin America, as well as theories of judicial politics in both autocracies and democracies. Students will be expected to write an independent research paper on an issue relevant to the course. Writing for this seminar may be used as partial fulfillment of the JD writing requirement (SWP for JD '10; SRP or WP for JD '11 and JD '12).
Autumn 2009
Tom Ginsburg
Greenberg Seminar: Wine, Law, and Politics
LAWS 95912
Wine is distinctive product: with an history going back to the origins of civilization, it is today a multi-billion dollar global industry. Regulation of wine implicates many areas of law, including intellectual property, international trade, food and drug regulation, and constitutional federalism. This seminar will discuss the law, politics and economics of the wine industry and its regulation. We may also conduct some empirical research. Our first book will likely be Tyler Colman's Wine Politics.
Autumn 2009
Jacob Gersen, Tom Ginsburg
