The Master of Arts in Jurisprudence is an interdisciplinary study of the idea of Law. The program enables the student to examine the philosophy and principles of law in the context of human thought, and to trace its evolving operations and functions in societies across the history of Western civilization. Topics students explore include: the definition of law, the major kinds of law, the divine law, the natural law, the human or positive law: the sanction of coercive force, law and the individual, law and the state, historical observations on the development of law and on the diversity of legal systems or institutions, and the legal profession and the study of law. Some of the authors that speak to the idea of law include: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Hobbes, Montaigne, Bacon, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Gibbon, Barth, Kant, Hegel, Tocqueville, and Weber.

Upon completion of the Master of Arts in Jurisprudence degree program, graduates will be able to design, implement, and complete a self-directed program of study in the liberal arts. They will have achieved the ability to think critically about major ideas in Western thought and to engage in rigorous discussion about fundamental questions of human existence. Successful completion of the master’s program requires, and in turn enhances, mastery of critical, analytical, synthetic, creative, and problem-solving skills through discussion and essay writing. Design and completion of a culminating thesis, practicum, or field project demonstrates an ability to carry out sustained library or field research on a designated topic as well as to synthesize and apply knowledge and skills acquired in the course of study. Specifically, the master’s level student will be able to construct logical, coherent, well-supported, creative, and compelling verbal and written arguments; to identify, analyze, evaluate, and exploit textual ambiguity while exploring complex ideas; and to develop synthetic arguments that draw upon multiple strains of thought. The hallmark of graduate study is a student’s ability to draw profound conclusions and create original insights that move beyond the text.