2011-2012 - Woodsworth College - University of Toronto
2011-2012 - Woodsworth College - University of Toronto
2011-2012 - Woodsworth College - University of Toronto
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WDW387H1 Legal Regulation <strong>of</strong> Morality<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Mariana Valverde<br />
Moral regulation through criminal law, and the role <strong>of</strong> legal texts and procedures in<br />
promoting certain values while marginalizing others. The decriminalization <strong>of</strong><br />
homosexuality and abortion, the censorship <strong>of</strong> pornography, the key role <strong>of</strong> administrative<br />
law mechanisms, and the transformation from direct to indirect forms <strong>of</strong> regulation.<br />
Prerequisites: UNI255H1/256H1/WDW205H1, 225H1/WDW200Y1, 220Y1<br />
Exclusion: WDW391H1 in 2002<br />
Distribution Requirement Status: Social Science<br />
Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)<br />
Themes and Format<br />
Despite the decriminalization <strong>of</strong> some activities in recent years (homosexuality, abortion),<br />
moral and cultural norms continue to be embedded in legal texts and practices. This course<br />
will examine how law imagines and manages the 'risks' <strong>of</strong> immorality, focusing mainly but<br />
not exclusively on questions <strong>of</strong> embodiment and sexuality. The main theme <strong>of</strong> the course<br />
will be the shift from the direct regulation <strong>of</strong> bodily acts and personal behaviour to the<br />
more indirect regulation <strong>of</strong> morality through categories such as 'harm to society'. Students<br />
will learn to analyze legal texts and legal processes but from an interdisciplinary<br />
perspective, not from the point <strong>of</strong> view <strong>of</strong> legal doctrine.<br />
Students should note that in this course the lectures will rarely repeat or even explain the<br />
readings. This is not a textbook-based first year course. There is a complementarity<br />
between readings and lectures, but attendance at lectures is extremely important because<br />
much material presented in class is not contained in the readings. Some lecture notes will<br />
be made available on Blackboard, but all class discussions (along with films, guest speakers<br />
etc) are relevant and important for doing assignments, and not just the final test. Students<br />
who due to work or other commitments know they will miss a number <strong>of</strong> lectures should<br />
probably not take this course.<br />
Requirements<br />
Reading reflection: 20%<br />
Midterm: 20%<br />
Policy paper: 30%<br />
Final test: 30%<br />
Texts<br />
Two required texts will be used: Alan Hyde, Bodies <strong>of</strong> Law, and Debi Brock, Making Work,<br />
Making Trouble. A few additional required articles and reports will be made available<br />
through Blackboard. The books will be sold through the <strong>Toronto</strong> Women's Bookstore on<br />
Harbord Street.<br />
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