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Course Offerings

Course Evaluation Results

Course Details

Spring 2017-2018
* WWS 333 / SOC 326 (SA)   Graded A-F, P/D/F, Audit

Law, Institutions and Public Policy

Paul E. Starr

This course will examine how institutions develop, vary in design, and shape public policy. Law will be a primary focus because it is central to the development of institutions in modern societies and provides the formal means for expressing and fixing policy. The course will cover a wide range on institutions-social, economic, and political - not only in an American context but also in comparative prospective.

Sample reading list:
Acemoglu and Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity & Poverty
North, Institutions, Institutional Change, & Economic Performance
Galanter, "Why the Haves Get Ahead"
Issacharoff, Karlan, & Pildes, The Law of Democracy
Ackerman, We the People
Starr, The Social Transformation of American Medicine (2017 ed)
See instructor for complete list

Reading/Writing assignments:
100-150 pages of reading weekly; 2 short papers (1,200 words), 1 research paper (3,500 words)

Requirements/Grading:
Mid Term Exam - 20%
Final Exam - 30%
Papers - 30%
Class/Precept Participation - 20%

Schedule/Classroom assignment:

Class numberSectionTimeDaysRoomEnrollmentStatus
43143 L01 11:00:00 am - 11:50:00 am M W   Louis A. Simpson International   A71   Enrolled:47 Limit:100
44161 P01 01:30:00 pm - 02:20:00 pm W   Robertson Hall   438   Enrolled:16 Limit:15 Closed
44162 P02 02:30:00 pm - 03:20:00 pm W   Robertson Hall   438   Enrolled:11 Limit:15
44163 P03 11:00:00 am - 11:50:00 am Th   Robertson Hall   014   Enrolled:11 Limit:15
44164 P04 01:30:00 pm - 02:20:00 pm Th   Corwin Hall   124   Enrolled:9 Limit:15
43149 P99 TBA        Enrolled:0 Limit:0 Canceled