The sociology of law has been succinctly defined as "everything
about law except the rules."  Taking the spirit of this definition
to heart, we will privilege the "law in action" over the "law in the
books" on this class.  In our exploration of the courts and the
legal profession, we will pay close attention to social
relationships and social institutions.  In our exploration of the
disputing process and access to justice (including alternatives to
law), we will pay close attention to power and inequality.  Finally,
when we study legal culture, legal consciousness, and popular
portrayals of law (images of law in TV and film, for example), we
will consider both the way the legal process is shaped by culture
(social norms defining the meaning of right and wrong, for example)
and the way culture is shaped by the legal process.  Course
materials will include journal articles, book chapters, and films.