NEWARK, NJ – What do King Lear, the Merchant of Venice and Hamlet have in common? They are Shakespearean plays with major legal themes and the subject of a new class to be offered at Seton Hall University School of Law beginning in January 2000. Catherine M.A. McCauliff, J.D., Ph.D., professor of law, will teach the new course, titled “Shakespeare and the Law” to second- and third-year law students. According to McCauliff, the course proved so popular during registration for the Spring Semester that 47 students signed up for only 30 slots.

          Topics to be covered include the Inns of Court in Shakespeare’s time from the point of view of the origin of entertainment through moots, pageants, revels and stage shows and legal training. During the first three classes, the seminar will present general background on law and society in Shakespeare’s time. The course will then turn to individual plays, including “Measure for Measure,” “Anthony and Cleopatra” and “King Lear.”

          “The Inns of Court during the 16^th century functioned along with Oxford and Cambridge as a third university,” explains McCauliff. “They were the seat of dramatic productions, masques and entertainment of all kinds, thus being very vital and thoroughly integrated into the society of the time. The Inns of Court we have at the Law School today reflect the old name and the importance of those institutions but focus on continuing legal education.”

          In addition to Shakespeare and the Law, McCauliff teaches European Legal History and English Legal History. McCauliff also teaches more traditional courses such as “Theory of Contract,” “Partnerships & LLCs” and “Tender Offer Litigation.” McCauliff earned her juris doctor (J.D.) from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Toronto.

          The only private law school in New Jersey, Seton Hall University School of Law was founded in 1951. The Law School moved to a $36 million facility in the heart of Newark’s Renaissance area in 1992.

          Founded in 1856, Seton Hall University is the nation’s oldest and largest diocesan institution of higher education. Today, the University is made up of nine schools and colleges, including the School of Law. One of six private universities in New Jersey and the only Catholic university in the state, Seton Hall currently enrolls nearly 10,000 students. For more information on Seton Hall University, see www.shu.edu on the World Wide Web.

NOTE: Professor McCauliff is available for interviews. To arrange interviews, call (973) 642-8818.