Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives On completion of this subject students will have acquired or developed (1) a familiarity with a variety of theoretical approaches from the humanities and social sciences with relevance to legal questions and phenomena; (2) an understanding of several substantive themes which connect the theoretical approaches surveyed; (3) a capacity to formulate questions drawn from different theoretical perspectives and to apply these in class discussions and written assessment work; (4) the ability to use the theoretical persectives to interrogate critically legal attitudes and practices; (5) the ability to conduct independent interdisciplinary research and to produce written work which is analytical and critical and draws on one or more theoretical perspectives covered during the course; and (6) an awareness of the research and analytical possibilities for dissertation and thesis work provided by the perspectives considered in class.
Synopsis Topics covered change slightly each time the subject is offered to reflect new and emerging perspectives. It may also be possible to accommodate particular student interests from time to time. In the past, the following topics have been covered: introduction to interdisciplinary scholarship; the death of law?; Luhmann's social systems theory of law; liberalism and the rule of law; Rawls' theory of justice; feminist critiques of law; law and economics; Critical Legal Studies; Unger's transformative theory of law; Michel Foucault on disciplines and legal discourse; law and geography; Robert Cover and legal language; law and literature; interpretivism and legal practice; Stanley Fish and neo-pragmatism.
Assessment Research essay (5000 words): 45% + Take-home examination (48 hours): 45% + Class participation: 10%