Legal History & Jurisprudence

Since its founding in 1872, BU Law has offered courses on legal history and jurisprudence, or the philosophy of law, allowing students to grapple with some of the fundamental questions at the heart of legal systems around the world, including the definition of law, its underlying authority, and judicial powers. In Jurisprudence: Contemporary Controversies Over Law & Morality, students examine classic issues in a modern context, including legal battles over marriage between same-sex couples, conflicts between religious liberty and equality, and the debate between originalist and moral interpretations of the Constitution. 

BU Law faculty in these areas have expertise in critical race theory, citizenship and immigration law, constitutional law and democracy, comparative legal history, race and reparations, and common law, among other topics. In addition, legal history and jurisprudence are the subject of prominent speaker series on campus, including Congresswoman Barbara Jordan Speaker Series on Race, Law, and Inequality. The school also offers a dual JD/MA in history in six semesters.

LLM students have access to all the JD offerings in this area through the LLM in American Law program.