LJSO 4300

The aim of this advanced seminar is to examine the relationship between law (a system of authoritative rules that is typically enforced by states) and ethics (normative principles that guide ethical or just conduct). The very reference to ethics and the law speaks to possible tensions between what is lawful and what is just; that is, between actions that are legal but potentially unethical, as well as conduct that is potentially ethical but prohibited by law. The course focus is on complex legal-political-ethical questions. The first half explores important legal-ethical questions in the Canadian context. The second half centres legal-ethical questions relating to international law, transitional justice, and humanitarianism. By the end of the seminar, students should have a good grasp of fundamental legal concepts and be better positioned to navigate the complex relationship between ethics and the law in contemporary social and political life.