Law in Popular Culture
Essay/Discussion Memo: Law in Popular Culture
Order Description
Fоrmаt:
5
tурed pages, double
-
spaced,
12 pt. font,
with one
-
inch margins
. That means at
least
five
pages, and
a ma
ximum of six
. Additionally, yo
u must include a
References
page
with inset citation
, or use footnotes and a bibliography.
Indicate
your name,
the
course name
, date
, and SID # in the top right corner.
Include page
numbers at the bottom.
Consider adding a creative title, cente
red, at the top,
before the essay. See the course syllabus for more information and writing tips.
Assignment:
Write a paper analyzing any
two
(2) movies, television shows, video games,
or
combination thereof
, that depict representations of American
civil
law in the
media
and popular culture
. Your paper should address how the representation of
law featured in your in your selections raises issues
that
we have discussed
throughout this
class, with some consideration of civil procedure. In doing so,
you must
meaningfully incorporate and reference material and authors from
assigned reading
discussed during
lectures
,
or optional readings,
and apply them
to your analysis. Be sure to develop a thesis to frame your paper, arguments, and
observations.
For example, how does the media capture what
Lawrence Friedman describes as
American legal rights consciousness? (Friedman 2002 at 13) Are people “lumping
it,” or highly litigious? (Engel 2016 at 20; Haltom and McCann 2004) Do your
choices feature formal adjudication, adversarialism, and/or informa
l dispute
resolution processes? (Menkel
-
Meadow 2011; Fineman 2014) What about
bargaining in the “shadow of the law”? (Mnookin and Kornhauser 1979) Which
aspects of civil procedure come to life? (Melone and Karnes, 177
-
197)? Is this a
courtroom drama? Whi
ch substantive area of civil law is featured? (Fineman
2014) How is justice pursued and achieved, and does that comport with your
understanding of the “law in action”? Consider comparing and contrasting your
media choices in how they highlight themes, co
ncepts, and topics from the class.
What does all this tell you about American law, and the reproduction of American
legal consciousness?
Note:
Proofread your assignment carefully before submission: spell check,
edit,
be clear
with words and sente
nces, an
d organize your ideas.
Must be in Word format.
This assignment
will
be processed through
turnitin.com
to check for plagiarism.
See the course syllabus for more information on academic dishonesty.
Take this assignment seriously, but have fun!
A list of some shows and movies
to choose from (you are
not
limited to this list!)
A Civil Action
A Lawyer Walks Into A Bar
Adam’s Rib
Ally McBeal
Amistad
Battle of the Sexes
Bee Movie
Better Call Saul
Black or White
Blind Justice
Boston Legal
Bull
The Case Against 8
Century City
Class Action
The Client
The Conspirator
Damages
Difret
Divorc
e Court
Eli Stone
Erin Brockovich
Fairly Legal
The Firm
Franklin & Bash
Girls Club
The Good Wife
The Guardian
Hot Bench
I am Sam
In Defense of a Married Man
Inherit the Wind
Injustice
Intolerable Cruelty
Judge Judy (Joe Brown, Alex, Mathis, Maria
Lopez, Christina Perez, Karen, etc.)
Loving
Judging Amy
The Jury
Kramer vs Kramer
L.A. Law
Legally Blonde
Liar Liar
Marshall
Michael Clayton
Miracle on 34
th
Street
My Cousin Vinny (caution: it’s a criminal
trial
–
focus on civil procedure
)
Night Court
North Country
One L
Terms and Conditions May A
pply
The Paper Chase
The People’s Court
The
People
vs
Larry Flynt
Philadelphia
The Practice
The Rainmaker
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Runaway Jury
Sex and the City
The Social Network
Spotlight
Suits
The Sweet Hereafter
The Verdict
Will & Grace
Any relevant PBS or other
independent
documentary