Dr. Christine Desan

Professor

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Biography

Christine Desan is the Leo Gottlieb Professor at Harvard Law School, specializing in political economy, constitutional law, and the international monetary system. Her influential work, including the book 'Making Money: Coin, Currency, and the Coming of Capitalism' (Oxford University Press, 2014), presents a constitutional approach to money, arguing that modern capitalism arose from changes in the design and creation of money. Desan has published numerous articles and edited volumes on the interplay of money and economic history, as well as contemporary issues related to monetary design and productivity. She has served on the Steering Committee for Massachusetts Public Banking, advocating for legislation aimed at establishing a state bank to support marginalized communities. Desan has been a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and has received the 2024 Sacks-Freund Award for Teaching Excellence at Harvard Law School. She co-founded Harvard's Program on the Study of Capitalism and has actively engaged in organizing conferences and seminars focused on the critical analysis of money and governance.

Research Interests

Experience

Leo Gottlieb Professor

— Present

Harvard Law School • Cambridge, MA

Teaching subjects in political economy, constitutional law, and monetary systems.

Courses

Constitutional Law: Money Making American Capitalism Money Empire Public Banking Social Change: Law and Politics Structural Innovations in Monetary Reform

Requirements for Harvard Law School

Master Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
J.D. from an ABA-approved U.S. law school or a first law degree (LL.B. or equivalent) from a foreign law school
Application Checklist
  • Online application form
  • CV/Résumé
  • Personal statements (Parts A and B)
  • At least two recommendations
  • Official transcripts and diplomas
  • Official TOEFL report (if applicable)
  • Application fee ($85)
Specialization Notes

Applied for under 'Department of Law', 'Department of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law', 'Department of Constitutional Law', 'Department of Japanese Legal Studies', and 'Department of Human Rights'.