191-110 Law in Society

This subject will introduce students to theories and concepts of law and practices of law in contemporary Australian society. It will also provide a foundation both for legal studies subjects in later years and for later subjects in disciplines such as politics and criminology. The subject will provide an introduction to various approaches to the study of law in society, for example, debates about legal ideology and discourse, understandings of law's role in relation to social structure and social order, and debates about law, the state and governance. The course is divided into four parts: Concepts of Law: this looks at state law and other forms of law, Western and non-Western ideas of law and the range of forms of social regulation. It will also examine the history of ideas of law. Legal Processes and Institutions: this section develops on overview of the legal process and the various institutions involved, moving from the emergence and initiation of legal disputes (criminal and civil), through the forms of dispute settlement (lawyers' offices, courts, tribunals, alternative dispute resolution), to the links between the mechanisms and meanings of legal dispute settlement and other social institutions such as the welfare system. Legal Languages and Texts: This section examines the systems of knowledge and ways of understanding used by legal professionals. Students will focus on the significance of legal culture, the practices of interpretation used by lawyers in assessing and resolving disputes and will familiarise students with techniques of reading legal materials such as statutes and case reports. Law, Power and Social Structure: This section will introduce students to various approaches to law, power and social structure, in particular to various approaches to socio-legal studies such as critical legal studies, cultural studies and the sociology of law.

Written work totalling 4000 words. An examination may be substituted for part or whole of the assessment.