Law and Social Change

This course explores social mobilization through legal channels. Activists consistently use law and legal institutions to influence public policy, as seen in contemporary examples such as climate change litigation, Black Lives Matter's push for police reform, and the LGBTQ+ community's advocacy for marriage equality. We will examine this dynamic relationship between law and social change. We will tackle questions like: What potential does the law have for bringing about transformative social change? Are there certain areas of the law that are more effective in achieving meaningful change than others? How does the legal system influence the strategies of those seeking to make a difference? What does institutionalizing rights really mean for us? Can we see legal mobilization happening outside of the courtroom? We will also pay special attention to how the pursuit of social change through legal avenues invites a diverse range of stakeholders and participants, not just the aggrieved groups or individuals, but also those who play supportive roles in legal litigation. Additionally, we will examine how various legal systems-whether local, state, federal, religious, or indigenous-interact with each other, sometimes in harmony and other times in conflict, and how this influences legal mobilization.