730-315 Jurisprudence

Legal Theory or equivalent.

Jurisprudence is the study of the traditions through which law appears, is articulated and thought. This subject moves from a consideration of normative and rationalist traditions of legal thought to contemporary theories concerned with legal interpretation, judgement and justice. The theories will be studied in terms of their accounts of law as the form and idiom of human communication. The first part provides an introduction to the course, its structure and its themes. The second part discusses the extant schools of jurisprudence in terms of the organisation of power and knowledge. It addresses natural law traditions, positivist and realist understanding of the science of law, and critical legal studies and postmodernism. The third and final part studies relations between aesthetics, judgment and justice, and specifically focuses on theories of the rhetoric and literature of law.

Note: The essay in this subject is regarded as a substantial piece of legal writing for honours purposes.

Research assignment 5000 words 100% (due end of semester).

Printed materials will be issued by the Faculty of Law.