LL.M. Specialization in Law and Philosophy
To be awarded the specialization in Law and Philosophy, a student must obtain a B (3.0) grade average in courses taken for this specialization. Detailed course descriptions are linked in the listings below. Prospective students should bear in mind that, due to curriculum scheduling and faculty availability, not every class listed is taught each year. This is most often true in the case of seminar courses. A sufficient number of courses will be available to enable those students who choose to specialize to satisfy the specialization requirements.
* To apply courses marked with an asterisk toward the specialization, a student must write a philosophically informed, theoretical paper with the instructor’s approval.
Curriculum
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Group A
(At least one course is required; all are strongly recommended)
LAW 217Legal Philosophy
LAW 418Contemporary Philosophy of Law: The Cutting Edge
LAW 524Legal Philosophy - The Nature of Law: Ground, Essence, and Analysis
LAW 555Legal Theory Workshop
LAW 587Free Speech Theory
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Group B
(Sum of courses from Groups A and B must equal at least two)
LAW 213Sports as Legal Systems: A Comparative Investigation of Law
LAW 266Critical Race Theory
LAW 273International Human Rights Law
LAW 456The History of American Legal Thought
LAW 563The Foundations of Legal and Moral Responsibility
LAW 616Theories of International Law
LAW 642Philosophy of Property
LAW 655Feminist Legal Theory
LAW 688Philosophy of Migration Law
LAW 699Freedom of Speech: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives
LAW 967Statutory Interpretation in The Roberts Supreme Court: The New Textualism
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Group C
(Sum of courses from Groups A, B and C must equal at least four)
Law 340 - Independent Study: A student may petition to take an independent study (Law 340) in lieu of a Group C course. The independent study must be taken in conjunction with or subsequent to taking a course not included in the specialization. The independent study must focus on the philosophical issues associated with the non-specialization law school course. The student must earn at least two Law 340 credits in order to take the independent study in lieu of a Group C course.
LAW 389Prison Law and Policy
LAW 411Liberty & Equality: LGBTQ & Reproductive Rights
LAW 424Restitution and Unjust Enrichment
LAW 543UCLA Colloquium on Tax Policy and Public Finance
LAW 567Direct Democracy
LAW 597Place, Race, and Power
LAW 598Recentering International Law: Black Traditions, TWAIL and Other Critical Perspectives
LAW 649Religious Legal Systems: Jewish Law
LAW 668The 8th Amendment Punishments Clause
LAW 928Religious Liberty
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Group C Non-Law Courses
Philosophy 156 - Topics in Political Philosophy
Philosophy M257 - Philosophy Legal Theory
Political Science 210A. Political Theory Field Seminar 1
Political Science 210B. Political Theory Field Seminar 2
