Camden Law School launches Institute for Law and Philosophy
Archived article from May 10, 2004
By Michael Sepanic
Rutgers is home to the nation’s premier philosophy faculty, as well as a nationally ranked law school with particular strength in legal theory scholarship. Both rely upon common research and pedagogical disciplines and count among their faculties scholars widely acknowledged as leaders in such areas as legal philosophy and theory.
That is why the School of Law at Rutgers–Camden has launched the Rutgers Institute for Law and Philosophy (ILP). The institute, created with support from President Richard L. McCormick’s Academic Excellence Fund, seeks to advance the knowledge and understanding of important topics, particularly in such areas as contemporary analytic philosophy, criminal law theory and moral theory.
The Institute for Law and Philosophy represents “the natural and logical partnership of two strong Rutgers programs in an endeavor that allows everyone involved to greatly extend the university’s excellence in philosophical inquiry,” said Dennis Patterson, a distinguished professor at the law school and a co-director of the institute. Kimberly Ferzan, an associate professor at the law school, joins Patterson as co-director. Members of the ILP’s board of directors include Alvin Goldman and Douglas Husak, board of governors professor and professor, respectively, in the New Brunswick philosophy department, and John Oberdiek, an assistant professor of law in Camden.
The initiative arose from a 2003 joint seminar offered by the Camden law school and the New Brunswick philosophy department. During the conference, the Camden law school hosted a nationwide gathering of legal scholars who convened for lectures by Brian McLaughlin, chair of the philosophy department in New Brunswick; Board of Governors Professors Goldman and Stephen Stich; and Colin McGinn, a professor in the philosophy department.
Additionally, the ILP will educate students and faculty at the law school on the philosophical implications of numerous legal topics. An ongoing schedule of colloquia and conferences is planned.
The institute will host its inaugural conference, “Justifications and Excuses: Legal and Philosophical Perspectives,” May 24 to 26. Noted legal scholar Brian Leiter of the University of Texas School of Law will deliver the keynote address.
“The Rutgers–Camden law school is pleased to serve as home base for this promising endeavor,” said Camden Law Dean Rayman Solomon. “This is an excellent example of how collaboration across our campuses benefits both our individual units and the entire university.”
For more information about the conference, contact Kimberly Ferzan at kferzan@camden.rutgers.edu.
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