The objective of this seminar will be to analyze three
moments in
Latin America (1960s-1980s; 1980s to late 1990s; late 1990s to our
days) and their relationship to law and legal institutions.  The idea will be to understand the major political,
social and economic topics that were debated during these periods and relate
them to relevant legal discussions.  At
the same time, the seminar will explore continuities and discontinuities in the
description of the problems faced by the hemisphere and the legal solutions
provided.  The underlying thread of the
course will be to debate how the issue of resource and power distribution has
been confronted, masked or avoided. 

The questions to be discussed will be:  How have political, social and economic
conditions shaped law in the region?  How
has law determined the terms of the political, social and economic
debates?  What have been the major legal
theoretical influences?  When have law
and legal institutions been able to transform political, social and economic
conditions?  When has law failed to do so,
and why?  Which have been the privileged
legal instruments at a specific moment and why? How have international institutions and historical contexts shaped law?

The context for each moment will be provided by
literature and movies.  Law and legal
institutions will be discussed through the reading of laws and law review
articles.

The seminar is open to law students and graduate
students from all departments. Students will be expected to participate in
class discussion and submit a 20 page paper at the end of the semester.

Helena Alviar will be Tinker Visiting Professor of Law in fall 2008. She
is a Professor of Law at the Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia and a
founding member of the Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad.
Contact:. halviar@uniandes.edu.co