HIST/POLI 441 – The Roots of Western Law: Justinian, the Law, and Constitutions of Rome

Term: April 6 – May 4
Time: Saturdays, 11 am – 1 pm ET
Credit Hours: Elective | 1 credit
Instructor: Dr. Jonathan Price

The most influential books of the entire Roman heritage are, arguably, those of Justinian, particularly his Institutes and Digest. In the 6th century AD, these books reanimated the ancient wisdom and constitutions of Rome, as the law of the Eastern Roman Empire. But both Justinian’s terms and his principles persist up to the present. Think of divisions such as: public vs private, person vs thing; or relations such as contract and obligation, or benefit and injury. These and many others are still our basic terms of law and public order. This seminar will treat selections from Emperor Justinian’s two great works, connecting them to the development of law and constitutions.

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