730-315 Jurisprudence

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Torts and the Process of Law; History and Philosophy of Law.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

An introduction to the kinds of questions posed in Jurisprudence and the various theories which have emerged in response to these questions. In the first half of the course the principal schools of jurisprudential thought are analysed: natural law, legal positivism, legal realism, sociological jurisprudence, Marxism, feminism, critical legal studies. General questions such as the relationship between law and morality and the nature of legal reasoning are also discussed. In the second half of the course the theories already discussed are applied to a number of jurisprudential issues, including the obligation to obey the law, the justification of punishment, legal paternalism, justice, the rule of law, and the role of legal theory in legal education.

Assessment

Either Research Assignment 4000 words (40%) and Final Exam 2 hours (60%) or Final Exam 3 hours (100%).

Prescribed Texts

Printed Materials will be issued by the Law School.