Published Aug 02, 2022
Legal rules and jurisprudence can have a significant effect on resource allocation. A key question is whether legal regimes affect the optimality of an equilibrium and succeed in bringing society closer to a welfare maximizing outcome. From another perspective, a relevant question is on the objective or motivation behind the enactment of specific legislation. Recent studies suggest that much legislation is consistent with simple welfare concepts developed by economists. The course focuses on these issues with examples drawn from property, contract, tort, and criminal law.
Prereq: ECON 201, 211; or ECON 391; Level at least 3A Honours students or Economics majors
One or more half-courses will be offered at different times as announced by the Department.
This course uses economic theory to understand the general structure of law. It is not a law course. Specifically, it uses the economic model of decision making to examine how the law can be used to influence people’s behaviour. It also considers the concept of economic efficiency as a criterion for evaluating laws. Topics include property (including intellectual property), contracts, torts, family law and crime. The course will be very much discussion oriented and the amount of time we spend on each topic will be determined by student interest.
| Read academic papers in the area of law and economics |
| Analyze actual court decisions through the lens of law and economics |
| Write short briefs using such analysis |
| Conduct a literature review within the area of law and economics |
Week 1: Introduction to Property Law
Week 2: Intellectual Property and Liability Law
Week 3: Contracts and Crime
Week 4: Family Law and the Role of the Courts
Weeks 5 to 9: Class Discussion of Papers
Weeks 10 to 12: In-class Presentations
There is no textbook for this course. Instead, we will read a variety of published articles.
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| 3 Written Assignments | 30% |
| Term Paper Proposal | 10% |
| Presentation | 15% |
| Term paper (due Dec 13th) | 35% |
| Participation | 10% |
Written Assignments
You will be asked to read the rulings of an actual court case or legal development or an academic article discussing a ruling. Your task will be to summarize the article and comment on either the ruling or the analysis used in the article.
Term Paper Proposal
For your term paper proposal, you should find a real-life scenario with legal implications germain to this course. You should discuss how it fits in with the topics of this course and find a few examples of academic literature relevant to it.
Presentation
You will present your term paper (as it stands at the time) in a 10-minute presentation in class.
Term Paper
Your term paper will analyze a current, real-life scenario with legal implications relevant to this course. You will discuss the scenario in light of relevant academic literature, and provide your own analysis.
Participation
Your participation in class discussion will contribute to your grade.
Text matching software (Turnitin) will be used to screen assignments in this course. This is being done to verify that use of all material and sources in assignments is documented. In the first week of the term, details will be provided about the arrangements for the use of Turnitin and alternatives in this course. See Administrative Policy below for more information and links.
We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.
For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory.
All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health support if they are needed.
On Campus
Due to COVID-19 and campus closures, services are available only online or by phone.
Off campus, 24/7
Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website
Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)
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Why? Starting in winter 2020, your chosen/preferred first name listed in WatIAM will be used broadly across campus (e.g., LEARN, Quest, WaterlooWorks, WatCard, etc). Note: Your legal first name will always be used on certain official documents. For more details, visit Updating Personal Information.
Important notes
Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which subject code it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science subject code.
Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.]
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for their actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.
Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes they have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.
Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.
Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.
It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.