Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor Amelia Uelmen

J.D. Seminar 1038 (cross-listed) | 2 credit hours

For some, the ways in which we think about legal questions, and about our own work as lawyers, are related to our religious or spiritual outlook. The seminar will explore the content of that relation, and such questions as: is such a connection appropriate only as a private matter, not to be brought into the evaluation of policy questions or even into conversation, except with one’s chosen intimates? Can its importance to our legal thinking be honored in a manner that honors too our political commitment to pluralism and freedom of conscience? What is the difference, if any, between religious and secular sources of values? How may one integrate a religious commitment with a career as a lawyer? This is not a seminar on the law of the First Amendment, although it may affect our understanding of some of the controversies.

This seminar requires a series of short reflection and reaction papers which aim to facilitate thoughtful student participation in seminar discussions throughout the course. The final paper is not a research project, but a short engagement (about 8 pages) with a particular set of issues arising from across the range of topics covered in the course. This course does not satisfy the JD Upper Level Writing Requirement.