Syllabus for Law and The Movies
Sunday July 9, 16, 23 and 30: 1:45pm – 2:45pm
Instructor: Leora Harpaz
In-Person Class

Course Description:
This course will discuss four movies about aspects of law. The first class will be about Paper Chase (July 9), a film about the experience of being a law student at Harvard Law School in the 1970s. In the second class, we’ll discuss On the Basis of Sex (July 16), a movie about the early career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Third, we’ll talk about The Post (July 23), starring Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post, and the paper’s decision to publish the Pentagon Papers. The final film will be Confirmation (July 30), about the confirmation of Clarence Thomas and the testimony of Anita Hill. While information about how to watch the films will be provided, the use of film clips in the classes will make it possible for students to participate without viewing the films in advance.

How to Watch the Films:
All 4 movies are available to rent for online viewing without a subscription. Below is information about how to view each movie, although there may be other ways to see the films as well:
Paper Chase ($3.99 to rent on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play and Vudu):
On the Basis of Sex ($3.99 or less to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, AppleTV & Vudu);
The Post ($3.99 to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu); and
Confirmation: ($3.99 to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, GooglePlay, YouTube, and Vudu).

If you’re not able to watch the films in advance, one useful and not very time consuming way to learn about the films is to read one or more reviews of each movie. Another useful source of information is the IMDb website.

What These Four Films Have in Common:
There are overlaps between many of the four films. Paper Chase is about the first year at Harvard Law School in 1973. Harvard Law School also is featured in the second movie, On the Basis of Sex. The film is about the early life and career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg who studied at Harvard during her first two years of law school from 1956-58 before transferring to Columbia for her final year. Her experience at Harvard is featured early in the movie. Most of the film, however, is about the first major gender discrimination case Ginsburg litigated, along with her husband Marty, a tax attorney, although the case also involves one of her Harvard professors and the law school dean who are representing the federal government in the case. The case was decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 1972. The third film, The Post, focuses on Katherine Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post, and the paper’s decision to publish excerpts from the Pentagon Papers in 1971 despite possible legal jeopardy for the paper. The events at issue in the Post, like the Moritz case, took place as the women’s movement was fighting for equal treatment for women. In addition to the legal issues and a U.S. Supreme Court decision at issue in The Post, it is also about Katherine Graham and her effort to transform herself into a real leader of the paper. Finally, Confirmation, like On the Basis of Sex, is about a Supreme Court Justice, but this time the Justice is Clarence Thomas and the movie concerns his confirmation hearing and the testimony of Anita Hill who accused Thomas of sexual harassment.

Class Material: The Post