LAW4130

Law and social theory 406

(LAW)

Not offered in 2002

Professor Jeff Goldsworthy

6 points + Two 2-hour lectures per week + Clayton

Synopsis: The notion of 'social theory' and its relevance to legal research and practice. The focal concerns of socio-legal scholarhship. Interdisciplinarity and obstacles to collaboration between different disciplines. Law and social solidarity (Durkheim). Law as behaviour (Black). Law and modernity (Weber). Marxist critiques of law. Critical legal studies. Feminist analysis of law. Anthropology of law. interpretive social science and law; post-structuralism and law (Foucault). The limits of legal rules as instruments of regulation. lawyers as agents of social change. Litigation and access to justice.

Assessment: Research essay (4000 words): 40% + Examination (2.5 hours): 60%