On Teaching Jurisprudence in a Catholic Law School

Pojanowski, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3570163

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On Teaching Jurisprudence in a Catholic Law School

Journal of Catholic Legal Studies, vol. 58, p. 75 2019.

Notre Dame Legal Studies Paper No. 200402

14 Pages Posted: 9 Apr 2020 Last revised: 29 Oct 2020

See all articles by Jeffrey A. Pojanowski

Jeffrey A. Pojanowski

Notre Dame Law School

Date Written: October 28, 2020

Abstract

This essay is a contribution to a symposium on John Breen and Lee Strang's forthcoming book, A Light Unseen: A History of Catholic Legal Education in the United States. Breen and Strang's book offers not just a history, but a program for the future of Catholic legal education. Their program places the teaching of jurisprudence and the natural law tradition at the center of Catholic legal education. This essay draws on lessons from teaching jurisprudence at Notre Dame Law School which, in delightfully countercultural fashion, is one of the few remaining law schools in the nation that require jurisprudence. It recounts the author's early failures and hopes to provide guidance for those subversive figures who seek to suggest to students that the classical tradition of legal thought remains a plausible option.

Keywords: Jurisprudence, Natural Law

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Pojanowski, Jeffrey A., On Teaching Jurisprudence in a Catholic Law School (October 28, 2020). Journal of Catholic Legal Studies, vol. 58, p. 75 2019., Notre Dame Legal Studies Paper No. 200402, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3570163 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3570163