Law is a central medium of political power: it structures institutions, authorizes coercion, coordinates relationships, and shapes the rights and identities of citizens. This course provides a foundational overview of the major questions, concepts, and approaches at the intersection of political science and law. Students will examine how law and politics constitute one another across democracies, autocracies, and hybrid systems. Topics include constitutionalism and the judicialization of politics; courts, judicial behaviour, and judicial impact; legal and rights mobilization; the politics of strategic litigation and public advocacy; and contrasts between rule of law systems of governance and rule by law strategies of control. Emphasizing both institutions and behaviour, the course equips students to analyze how legal actors pursue political goals, how political conflict is translated into legal claims, and how politics mediates the impact of legal decisions.

This course also serves as the gateway for the Focus in Law and Politics.