This course treats law as a powerful social, economic and political phenomenon that cannot be fully understood apart from its history. Through a focus upon a particular theme and chronology, each section surveys the role of law (constitutional, statutory, regulatory and common) and legal institutions in shaping American society and culture, as well as how the law and its institutions have been shaped by individuals, advocacy groups, and broader social, cultural and political forces. Different sections of this course might explore constitutional law and social change (e.g. civil rights, abortion, and same sex marriage); criminal law and mass incarceration; law and the construction of race; law and gender; or patents, copyrights and intellectual property. This course may be repeated for different topics, and students who took HI 2317 may take HI 2318.