Big Words in Law

In this class we will consider big words in law that are key to our present, understood as plural and global. Each semester, the course will focus on twelve timely words that demand our attention and critical reflection. We will choose words that are often mobilized in political battles, approaching them not as fixed units of speech but as sites for arguments and visions for the planet we co-inhabit. The objective is not to secure a definition for the word; it is rather to open it up and to gain appreciation for its different layers, operations, and sometimes unrealized meanings. Because law and legal words are themselves contested, we will also consider the differing commitments that people display toward what counts as law for them.