LAW 965: Law,Biology, and Human Behavior Seminar
This seminar considers the extent to which recent advances in biology can usefully contribute to our understanding of – and thus to our effective regulation of – behaviors that are relevant to law. Specifically, the seminar explores the extent to which integrating insights from life sciences (particularly behavioral biology) with insights from the social sciences (such as psychology and sociology) may ultimately yield improved ability to pursue the various tasks that society routinely assigns to the legal arena. The seminar begins with both a general inquiry into the relationship between law and behavior and an introduction to relevant and accessible themes of behavioral biology. The seminar then turns to explore the appropriate roles, if any, for behavioral biology in the context of legal thinking. Contexts examined typically include, for instance, those relevant to criminal law (such as reducing the incidence of violence), those relevant to family law (such as reducing domestic abuse), and those relevant to employment law (such as reducing discrimination). Readings are drawn from current scholarship in law, biology, psychology, and anthropology. Enrollment limited. [3]