Professors J.H.H. Weiler and Nathalie A. Smuha
Fall 2024
Thursday, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Vanderbilt Hall, Room 208
LAW-LW.10650.001
2 Credits
This Colloquium will be led by Professors J.H.H. Weiler and Nathalie A. Smuha and examines the different ways in which law and culture, construed broadly, interact and shape one another. The Colloquium will proceed in three parts. Part I will be conceptual, clarifying different ways one can understand ‘culture’, and how culture and law interact and mutually influence each other. Each class will focus on a particular methodology or approach to the study of this interdisciplinary field, such as philosophy and political theory, legal realism, religion and gender studies. In Part II and III, the Colloquium will examine how law relates to cultural “products” or artifacts. Part II will be dedicated to the information society as an artifact and explore the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence in both law and culture. Topics will include social media and content moderation, generative AI and chatbots, and the impact of different cultural perceptions on our (legal) relationship with technology. Part III will focus on other cultural artifacts that shape and are shaped by law, covering themes such as law and literature, law and cinema, law and art, and law and theatre. These themes will be analyzed through readings which integrate insights from anthropology, cultural studies, jurisprudence, literary analysis, and critical studies, among others. Later sessions may also include discussions with faculty and visiting scholars on research which relates to the course.
Schedule of Presenters*:
Thursday, October 31, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Nili Cohen, Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law
Law in Literature through Kafka
Thursday, November 7, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Moshe Halbertal, NYU School of Law and Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Love and Law: The Religious Meaning of the Law
Thursday, November 14, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Atreya Mathur, Center for Art Law
Law and (Artificial) Art
Friday, November 22, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm*
*Please note the changed class time. This class will meet in Vanderbilt Hall, Room 214
Jessica Silbey, Boston University School of Law
Law and Cinema
*Please e-mail mailto:weilersoffice@nyu.edu if you would like to attend any of these sessions