Academic Offerings: Law and History

Foundational Courses

These courses offer context, perspective and introductory readings about or relevant to legal history to interested students.

Workshop in Law and History: Methods and Historiography (Brown-Nagin/Mack)

Legal History: American Legal History, 1865 to Present (Mack)

Advanced Courses and Seminars

These advanced courses immerse students in the study of legal history.  Students are advised to enroll in a foundational course prior to taking an advanced offering.

American Legal History (mid-18th century to first decades of the 19th century) (Mann)

American Legal History: Law and Social Reform Movements (Brown-Nagin)

American Legal History: The Warren Court, 1953-1969 (Horwitz*)

Constitutional History II: From Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement (Klarman)

Legal History 1776-1865(Annette Gordon-Reed)

Legal History: History of American Economic Regulation (Mack)

Legal History: Workshop on the Political Economy of Modern Capitalism (Desan)

Legal History: Continental Legal History (taught as a course and a seminar) (Donahue)

Readings in English Legal History (Donahue)

Topics in Ancient Law (Adriaan Lanni)

*emeritus beginning 6/13

Related Courses**

Legal History: American Legal Education (Daniel Coquillette)

Roman Law, Civil Law, Common Law and the American Constitution (Thomas Lee)

Race Relations Law: 1776-1876 (Randall Kennedy)

Race Relations Law: 1877-Present (Randall Kennedy)

**taught by non-affiliated faculty or visiting faculty

Law and History Workshop

The law and history workshop is intended to facilitate interaction and scholarship about law and history among interested faculty and students.  Members of the law school faculty are invited to attend, along with faculty across campus and interested students. Papers on a variety of legal history-related topics are discussed at the workshop. For more information, please contact Professor Tomiko Brown-Nagin or Professor Kenneth W. Mack, co-conveners of the workshop. The spring schedule is outlined below.

Spring 2013 Schedule

All sessions will take place on Thursdays, 5-7 p.m.

Feb. 7:   Sabeel Rahman, Reginald Lewis Fellow, Harvard Law School (Griswold 110),  “Democracy, Markets, and Expertise: Financial Regulation in Historical Perspective”

Feb. 28:   William Forbath, University of Texas School of Law (Griswold 110), “Jews, Law and Identity Politics”

Mar. 7: Sophia Lee, University of Pennsylvania School of Law (WCC 2012), “’We Were Not Antagonistic to Collective Bargaining”: Forging a Liberal Workplace Constitution in the Courts”

Apr. 4: Peter Pihos, Berger-Howe Legal History Fellow, Harvard Law School (Griswold 110), "Who Controls the Police? The Law and Politics of Police Brutality in Chicago"

Apr. 11: Mary Bilder, Boston College School of Law (WCC B010), “Madison’s Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention”

The Raoul Berger-Mark DeWolfe Legal History Fellowship

The Berger-DeWolfe Legal History Fellowship is awarded annually to an applicant to support the completion of major piece of scholarship in the field of legal history. Fellows are invited to be a part of the Legal History workshop, which meets periodically through the academic year.  For more information about qualifications and the application process, see the website description of the fellowship.

Interdisciplinary Study

The Law School offers a coordinated degree program with the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Students in the program earn a JD and a PhD, allowing them to integrate the study of law with their doctoral studies in history.  Several members of the Harvard History Department work in areas related or highly relevant to the law. 

To be admitted to the JD/PHD program, students must apply to and be separately admitted to both the Law School and to GSAS. The Law School has a financial assistance program for some eligible JD/PhD students.  Additional questions about the coordinated JD/PhD program may be addressed to Julie Barton, HLS Director of Special Academic Programs, and to Rise Shepsle, GSAS Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

Academic Careers 

Students who wish to pursue academic careers in this area s hould enroll in a variety of the offerings described above combined with significant research and writing under the direction of relevant faculty.  For further information, contact program leaders and advising faculty.

Harvard University Course Catalog Search

Cross-Registration Information