Law & Social Science Seminar

Professors L. Epstein and D. Klerman
LAW 797
Fall 2026

Schedule and Readings

Monday, August 24

• 11:00-11:50 am. Introduction to Social Science Research
Please read Lee Epstein & Andrew D. Martin, An Introduction to Empirical Legal Research, pp. 1-15. Available here (pdf).

Slides from the August 24 class are here (pdf).

• Noon-1:15 pm. Workshop—Prof. Danny Sokol (USC) in the Faculty Lounge. The paper is here (pdf). We won’t discuss this paper in class but you should attend the workshop. [Note: Workshops run from Noon-1:15 pm. If they want to or need to students can leave the workshop at 1 pm.]

Monday, August 31

•11:00-11:50 am. Finish introduction to social science research and discuss Prof. Brandice Canes-Wrone’s (Stanford) paper, which is available here (pdf). Please read the Canes-Wrone paper before the August 31 seminar meeting.
• Noon-1:15 pm. Workshop—Prof. Jordan Barry (USC) in the Faculty Lounge. The paper is here (pdf). We won’t discuss this paper in class but you should attend the workshop. [Note: Workshops run from Noon-1:15 pm. If they want to or need to students can leave the workshop at 1 pm.]

Monday, September 7
Labor Day (no classes meet)

Monday, September 14
•11:20 am-1 pm. Meet with with Prof. Canes-Wrone (11:20 am-11:50 am) in our seminar room and attend her Noon-1 pm workshop in the Faculty Lounge.
•By 5 pm on September 13, please email your reaction essay on the Canes-Wrone paper to Profs. Epstein (lepstein@law.usc.edu) and Klerman (dklerman@law.usc.edu).

Monday, September 21

•11:00-11:50 am. Discussion of Prof. Joanna Huey’s (USC) paper, which will be available here (pdf).
•By 5 pm on September 20, please email your reaction essay on the Huey paper to Profs. Epstein (lepstein@law.usc.edu) and Klerman (dklerman@law.usc.edu).

Monday, September 28

•11:20 am-1 pm. Meet with with Prof. Huey (11:20 am-11:50 am) in our seminar room and attend her Noon-1 pm workshop in the Faculty Lounge.

Monday, October 5

•11:00-11:50 am. Discussion of Prof. Jeffrey Rachlinski’s (Cornell) paper, which will be available here (pdf).
•By 5 pm on October 4, please email your reaction essay on the Rachlinski paper to Profs. Epstein (lepstein@law.usc.edu) and Klerman (dklerman@law.usc.edu).
•Noon-1:15 pm. Workshop—TBA [Note: Workshops run from Noon-1:15 pm. If they want to or need to students can leave the workshop at 1 pm.]

Monday, October 12

•11:20 am-1 pm. Meet with with Prof. Rachlinski (11:20 am-11:50 am) in our seminar room and attend his Noon-1 pm workshop in the Faculty Lounge.

Monday, October 19

•11:00-11:50 am. Discussion of Prof. David Hausman’s (Berkeley) paper, which will be available here (pdf).
•By 5 pm on October 18, please email your reaction essay on the Hausman paper to Profs. Epstein (lepstein@law.usc.edu) and Klerman (dklerman@law.usc.edu).
•Noon-1:15 pm. Workshop—Profs. John Donohue (Stanford) and Eric Baldwin (Stanford) in the Faculty Lounge. The paper is here (pdf). We won’t discuss this paper in class but you should attend the workshop. [Note: Workshops run from Noon-1:15 pm. If they want to or need to students can leave the workshop at 1 pm.]

Monday, October 26

•11:20 am-1 pm. Meet with with Prof. Hausman (11:20 am-11:50 am) in our seminar room and attend his Noon-1 pm workshop in the Faculty Lounge.

Monday, November 2

•11:00-11:50 am. Discussion of Prof. Mitu Gulati’s (University of Virginia) paper, which will be available here (pdf).
•By 5 pm on November 1, please email your reaction essay on the Gulati paper to Profs. Epstein (lepstein@law.usc.edu) and Klerman (dklerman@law.usc.edu).
•Noon-1 pm. Workshop—Prof. Tom Albright (Salk Institute) in the Faculty Lounge. His paper will be available here (pdf). We won’t discuss this paper in class but you should attend the workshop. [Note: Workshops run from Noon-1:15 pm. If they want to or need to students can leave the workshop at 1 pm.]

Monday, November 9

•11:20 am-1 pm. Meet with Prof. Gulati (11:20 am-11:50 am) in our seminar room and attend his Noon-1 pm workshop in the Faculty Lounge.

Monday, November 16

•11:00-11:50 am. Discussion of Prof. Dhruv Aggarwal’s paper, which will be available here (pdf).
•By 5 pm on November 15, please email your reaction essay on the Aggarwal paper to Profs. Epstein (lepstein@law.usc.edu) and Klerman (dklerman@law.usc.edu).
•Noon-1 pm. Workshop—Prof. Jean-Laurent Rosenthal (Caltech) in the Faculty Lounge. His paper will be available here (pdf). We won’t discuss this paper in class but you should attend the workshop. [Note: Workshops run from Noon-1:15 pm. If they want to or need to students can leave the workshop at 1 pm.]

Monday, November 23 (last day of class)

•11:20 am-1 pm. Meet with Prof. Aggarwal (11:20 am-11:50 am) in our seminar room and attend his Noon-1 pm workshop in the Faculty Lounge.

Monday, November 30 (no meeting)