HSEM3415H: Are corporations persons? Can they pray? Controversial Supreme Court Cases
3 CreditsHonorsBiological SciencesCivic Life and EthicsTopics Course
Alexis de Tocqueville noted in 1835 that "[s]carcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question." Rightly or wrongly, in the US many highly-charged issues ultimately get resolved in the Supreme Court. This seminar uses the courts as a lens through which to examine the relationship between business and society. It employs recent Court opinions in business cases like Citizens United and Masterpiece Cakeshop (ruling expected in summer 2018)--supplemented by transcripts of oral arguments, commentary in law reviews and legal blogs. The seminar should be of interest to pre-law students and all students who wish to gain a better understanding of the place of business in our society.