SOC20350 Sociology of Law

Academic Year 2020/2021

The module offers an overview of sociological approaches to law as social relationships and social institution. It gives an overview of theoretical, methodological, and empirical issues discussed in the Sociology of Law as a sub-discipline. The themes of the module include questions of justice, law enforcement, legal professionalism, everyday 'life' of law, social norms, and social change. These topics are scrutinised through both socio-legal and sociological methods.

Drawing on theoretical approaches in legal studies, the module offers a variety of definitions of law that are then critically assessed with sociological tools. Hence, the broader question of the module is: What is law? What forms does the law take in our societies? How does law constitute the societies and do societies constitute the law? In other words, during the classes, we will be looking at social, political, and historical aspects of the formation of justice as we know it.

The module covers literature in the Sociology of Law from classic authors (Marx, Durkheim, and Weber) to contemporary debates (feminist jurisprudence, queer criminology, etc.).

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon the completion of this module, students will be able to critically engage in discussions of law from the sociological perspective. The unique understanding of law as a social rather than legal phenomenon will be comprehended as the result of the classes. Students will acquire theoretical knowledge about main concepts in the sociology of law and about major empirical debates in the field. In practical terms, students will be equipped with social science tools to analyse legal issues.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Autonomous Student Learning

103
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The course is delivered in 2 lectures a week. Students will also work individually under their projects resulting in the final assignment. Critical thinking, reading and writing are foundational for the course. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: Write your final structured essay with sociological analysis of a legal issue.
Maximum 5 paragraphs long.		 Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

45
Multiple Choice Questionnaire (Short): Complete the short quiz to demonstrate your familiarity with the Sociology of Law concepts. Week 5 n/a Graded No

15
Multiple Choice Questionnaire (Short): Complete the short quiz to indicate your progress of learning the Sociology of Law major approaches. Week 8 n/a Graded No

15
Project: Submit a PPT-presentation representing the structure of your final essay.
7 slides maximum.		 Week 10 n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

25

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback in the form of grades is generated automatically for quizzes, whereas substantial comments and grades are given individually in the online environment for other types of assignments.