Zoom

Wednesdays, 10 AM-Noon | July 10 – 31    

Instructor: Sarah Traphagen

Facilitator: Don Melander 

One real historical legend. One imagined literary giant. Both lawyers. This interdisciplinary course contemplates the law careers and enduring influence of President Abraham Lincoln and Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. We will start from 1830s Illinois, where Lincoln litigated thousands of cases long before he arrived at the White House. And then we’ll venture to Maycomb, Alabama, in 1939 to the one case defining Atticus Finch in which he defended a black man against the charge of rape. What might we discover if we place Lincoln and Finch side by side in their own “law office” of examination? Why do they command timeless American reverence? Please secure a copy of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; all other materials will be provided.

Sarah Traphagen received her PhD in English from the University of Florida. Her areas of expertise are American literature, history, and Civil War medicine. She has published in The Journal of Military Experience and The Journal of Working-Class Studies. She has taught at the University of Florida and in college preparatory schools. Currently, she is raising her son in New Hampshire.