This graduate seminar course will be dedicated to a detailed study the law of nations, focusing on (1) its historical origins in classical and medieval jurisprudence; (2) its development in major treatises, especially in those by Grotius and Pufendorf; (3) critiques in recent scholarship on the legal history and politics of modern empire-building. The course will involve a study of original print texts, including the 1646 De Jure Belli ac Pacis and the 1698 De Jure Naturae et Gentium.
Undergraduates: Undergraduate students must receive the professor’s permission to enroll or audit. Please email the professor directly (dan.lee@berkeley.edu) expressing your interest and provide a list of courses you have already completed that you feel has prepared you for this course. In your note, explain briefly why you are interested in this topic. Because this is a graduate course, graduate students will be prioritized for enrollment.