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PHIL 453

Topics in Philosophy of Law

Catalog2026-2027
Credits3 units
LevelUpper Division
Average gradeB+
Standard

Overview

Description

Study of the meaning of law, its positive and normative function, justice, legal reasoning, and of legal theorists such as Aquinas, Hobbes, Rawls, and Dworkin.

Requirements

Prerequisites

  • 6 credits in Philosophy
Original catalog text

Prerequisites

Prerequisite(s): 6 credits in Philosophy.

Units

Lecture3

Catalog Details

Offering

Offered: Every Fall and Spring

Terms

fall, spring

Core

CO8

Attributes

Standard

Learning Outcomes

  • state a thesis about a problem in the philosophy of law, and provide evidence and philosophical argument (including replies to counter-arguments) in its defense.
  • explain and interpret the ideas associated with philosophical theories of law in the philosophical literature.
  • distinguish better and worse reasoning, and recognize relevant logical relationships and patterns of inference in different legal theories.
  • show what is at stake in abstract debates in the philosophy of law, and indicate how different positions in these debates help elucidate our understanding of the Constitutions of the United States and Nevada, as well as the evolution of American institutions and ideals.
  • trace the sources and development of important legal concepts within American intellectual traditions and cultural institutions.