Required Texts: Law and Economics by Robert Cooter and Thomas Ulen .

Link to Blackboard

Course Description:
This course provides a survey of the field of law and economics. Topics to be covered include: the economic effects of different legal rules, the evolution of legal rules, differences between judge made law and statutes, and similarities between economic and legal reasoning. The last three weeks of the course will consist of debates about legal issues of interest to you. The debates will be based on actual legal cases. You will have to argue one of the sides of the case, trying to create an argument that is persuasive both from an economic and a legal standpoint. This argument will be presented to the rest of the class in writing and orally. Details about the written assignment will be provided in class.
 

Course Objectives:

Course Requirements

20 % class participation (both in class and electronically on Blackboard)
20 % paper
10 % debate
25 % midterm
25 % final

I will provide you with additional information about the paper and the debate.

Grading Scale
for a grade of A final class average must be >= 93.0
for a grade of A- final class average must be >=90.0 and <93.0
for a grade of B+ final class average must be >=87.0 and <90.0
for a grade of B final class average must be >= 83.0 and <87.0
for a grade of B- final class average must be >=80.0 and <83.0
for a grade of C+ final class average must be >=77.0 and <80.0
for a grade of C final class average must be >=73.0 and <77.0
for a grade of C- final class average must be >=70.0 and <73.0
for a grade of D+ final class average must be >=65.0 and <70.0
for a grade of D final class average must be >= 60.0 and <65.0
for a grade of F final class average must be < 60.0

Guide to Grades:
Scores in the A range mean that you completed the assignment, with almost no grammatical, factual, organizational or logical errors, and that you exhibited significant originality of thought.
Scores in the B range mean that you completed the assignment, with almost no grammatical, factual, organizational or logical errors.
Scores in the C range mean that you completed the assignment, with noticeable grammatical, factual, organizational or logical errors.
Scores in the D range mean that you did complete the assignment in its entirety and/or it was riddled with noticeable grammatical, factual, organizational or logical errors.
A grade of F means that you failed to complete the assignment.
 
 

Course Outline:

Week	Tuesday	Thursday
1		Jan 16  Chapter 1  Introduction to Law and Economics  Sturges v. Bridgman Discuss Debate Topics
2	Jan 21  Chapter 3  More on Law and Economics  What do lawyers and judges do?  Macpherson vs Buick	Jan 23  What do people who study law and economics actually do?  Positive Analysis  a. formal models  b. empirical analysis  Normative Analysis
3	Jan 28  The Economic Analysis of Property  Boomer vs. Atlantic Cement Spur vs. Del Webb	Jan 30  Topics in Property Law:  Intellectual Property  The Napster Case
4	Feb 4  Topics in Property:  Regulatory Takings  Penn Central Nolan v. California Coastal Commission	Feb 6  Topics In Property:  Obtaining Ownership  Pierson v. Post
5	Feb 11  Contracts:  Williams v Walker Thomas Furniture	Feb 13  Contracts  Hadley vs. Baxendale
6  Tort Law	Feb 18  Contracts  Patton v Mid Continent Systems	Feb 20  Gone to New York
7	Feb 25  The Hand Rule  United States v. Carrol Towing Coyote v. Acme	Feb 27  Torts: Punitive Damages  BMW vs. Gore Mc Donalds Hot Coffee case
8	March 4  Reform of theTort System  Marc Galanter"An Oil Strike In Hell"	March 6
Spring Break	Mar 11	Mar 13
9	Mar 18  Criminal Law	Mar 20  Gun Control  John Lott More Guns, Less Crime
10	Mar 25  The Law and Economics of Morality  Bowers vs.Hardwick Barnes vs. Glen Theatre	Mar 27  Econ Regulation and Statutory Interpretation  Pennsylvania Coal v. Mahon Lochner v. New York  Carolene Products
11  Public Choice and Legal Analysis	April 1  Pennel vs. City of San Jose	Apr 3  The Limits of the Law  Gerald Rosenberg, The Hollow Hope Brown v. Board of Education Roe v. Wade
12	Apr 8  Corporate Law	Apr 10  Debate
13  Debates	Apr 15  Debate	Apr 17  Debate
14	Apr 22  Debate	Apr 24  Debate
15	Apr 29  Debates

Useful Links
 

Encyclopedia of Law and Economics

 Laws Order or try here