Religious Law Program

Religious Law Courses:

Canon Law: The Catholic Legal System
This course studies the legal system of the Roman Catholic Church as it developed out of Roman Law and Germanic customary law. The course considers the history of Canon Law and its codification, as well as selected topics of the current Code of Canon Law, especially marriage law and procedural norms.

Comparative Islamic Law
This course outlines the development of Islamic law, Shari'a, from its original sources (i.e., the Quran, the Prophet's Traditions, Sunna) to the human detailed works of the jurists, underlying the dynamic change in a law that has a divine origin according to the Muslim faith. The main legal and moral characteristics of Shari'a and juristic thinking are discussed along with the general goals and objectives of Islamic law.

Contemporary Issues and Jewish Law
The distinctive features of Jewish Law—merging of legal and ethical principles and deriving modern legal solutions from ancient texts—are applied to a variety of social concerns. Special emphasis will be placed on bioethical and public policy issues.

Jewish Law
This course is an introduction to the concepts and sources of Jewish Law, both Biblical and Rabbinical. While in essence jurisprudential, it considers a total legal system founded on religious values. The course also focuses on comparative analysis, using subject areas in Anglo-American law (eg, torts, evidence, criminal law, family law and contracts).

Law and Catholic Tradition
This seminar explores practical questions about the relationship between a Catholic lawyer's religious faith and law practice. Those questions include the following: What are a lawyer's roles in a liberal democracy? Do a lawyer's roles require the separation of faith from law practice? What is the relationship between my religious beliefs and what I am studying in law school? What are the connections between my career and my religion? What happens when my religious commitments and professional responsibilities conflict? What are workable models for harmonizing my religious faith and my life in the law?

Law and Religion
This course explores the intersection of law and religious exercise under the American Constitution. Specific topics include established religion in early America; the role of religion in slavery and abolitionism; incorporation of the religion clauses against the states; religious exemptions from generally applicable laws; and government aid or endorsement of religious exercise.