Jurisprudence (from Latin: 'juris prudentia' = the science of law) is the academic study of law.  Jurisprudence investigates fundamental theoretical questions about law such as its source (where does a law come from?) and validity (what gives law its force?), its purpose and its structure.  It is one of the oldest branches of legal study, dating back to Aristotle and Cicero.  

This course introduces students to the subject through a traditionally classical approach, as law students have been taught for centuries - through the study of classical Roman law.  Building on that background, students will then be introduced to the major interpretive schools of jurisprudence – chiefly, the natural law school and legal positivism – as well as recent Anglo-American contributions to jurisprudence.

The course is organized into two Parts.

Module I of the course is a detailed introduction to Roman law.  Roman law is the ancestor to most major modern legal systems and, thus, it has long been regarded the foundation of modern jurisprudence.   Roman law continues to remain the foundation of jurisprudence in civil law countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and increasingly in international law.  Many legal rules and concepts still recognized by courts (e.g., the possessory interdict uti possidetis and the principle of occupatio in modern international law).   You will study Roman law in much the same way it has been taught to generations of law students over many centuries, by reading the Institutes of Gaius and Justinian.  You will also have an opportunity to study sample cases.

Module II then proceeds to introduce students to major schools of modern jurisprudence, including the Natural Law School, the Command Theory of Law of John Austin, Modern Legal Positivism as articulated by H.L.A. Hart, as well as Ronald Dworkin’s Law-as-Integrity theory of interpretivist jurisprudence.

Latin is not required in this course, but students will be expected to learn key legal vocabulary in Latin.