module

Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW2155: Jurisprudence

This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.

Overview

Jurisprudence means the theory or philosophy of law and involves reflecting on questions about what law is, what it is for, how it works and what it achieves in human societies. Building on your legal studies so far, this module will give you the opportunity to think and learn about these sorts of issues from a more abstract perspective, by developing your understanding of some of the most influential and exciting jurisprudential schools of thought, including natural law theory, positivism, Critical Legal Studies, postmodernism, and law and literature. The module will give you the chance to explore how these different schools of thought have sought to explain, for example, the origins and development of legal rules, law’s relationship with justice, and the ways in which law reflects some societal or political perspectives while excluding others. In so doing, this module will also allow you to develop your skills of independent thought, critical analysis and theoretical argumentation.