LAW 847 - Law & Society

Unit(s): 3

This seminar examines the ways law shapes society and society shapes law in various comparative contexts. Its sociological perspective starts with the belief that law does not simply exist on its own, independent of influences by people, politics, and social institutions. Rather, law reflects the context in which it is made and used. Similarly, those laws have an effect on the people, politics and social institutions that are subject to them. Over the course of the semester, the course will explore definitions and concepts of law, the forms law takes and the fora in which it is shaped, the different ways that people understand law and the legal system, the ways injuries and disputes are understood and mediated, the goals and purposes of law, the limitations of law as a force for social justice, and the concept and importance of rights in a comparative context. No familiarity with Law & Society is presupposed, though some readings will be theoretically demanding and time-consuming.

Restriction: Class restrictions exclude Law 1st Yr. Full time, Law 1st Yr. Part Time and Law 1st Yr. Part Time Day; College restricted to School of Law
School of Law