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Unit of study_
LAWS5212: Law and Social Theories
2020 unit information
This unit of study introduces elementary approaches to social theory to understand how law and legal institutions regulate or influence communities in various localities or social-scapes: the urban; the local; the national; the state; the international; and the global. Each of these 'worlds' or social configurations present questions for sociological thinkers about the form and technique of laws; the interactions between law and other social institutions; the ideological missions of law; and how law supports or regulates the experience and expectations of justice, freedom, prosperity and peace. Sociological thinkers ask these 'big' questions for lawyers to prompt new thinking about what law does right and what is necessary for it to do better. Students will discover the writings of various 'classical' and 'contemporary' sociological thinkers (including Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Foucault, Bourdieu, Beck, Bauman and Sassen) in the contexts presented by various social-scapes or 'worlds'. The course will use various examples to encourage students to understand the relevance of social theory to them as lawyers. The unit does not presuppose prior knowledge of social theory. This unit satisfies the Part 3 (Jurisprudence) requirement of the JD.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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LAWS5162 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. develop new understanding about the sociological dimensions of law
- LO2. develop capacity for critical judgment and critical thinking about law by recognising the social effects of law and drawing upon sociological theories
- LO3. develop capacity for intellectual autonomy, openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges through exposure to new ways of thinking about law and the challenges presented for social cohesion by legal regulation and legal institutions
- LO4. develop personal values and beliefs by considering the broader social context for law and your role as members of local, national, international and professional communities
- LO5. develop exceptional written and oral communication skills through reasoned argument about the social effects of law.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
