LL109 Half Unit
Introduction to the Legal System
This information is for the 2018/19 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Meredith Rossner, Ms Insa Koch and Prof Nicola Lacey
Availability
This course is compulsory on the BA in Anthropology and Law and LLB in Laws. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.
Course content
Outline:
The course is designed as a foundation course to familiarise law students with the basic characteristics and functioning of legal systems.
The course will include:
1. What is law?
2. Reading Law: Statutory interpretation
3. Reading Law: Common law and judicial precedent
4. Legal pluralism
5. The vanishing trial and adjudication
6. Alternative dispute resolution
7. Restorative Justice
8. Punishment and democracy
9. The Legal profession and judicial diversity
10. Lay justice
Teaching
20 hours of lectures and 9 hours of classes in the MT.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the MT.
Indicative reading
This is a Moodle course, with the course materials, lecture outlines, class reading and suggestions for further reading set out through links to relevant sites. The main background book for the course is Carl F Stychin and Linda Mulcahy (eds), Legal Methods and Systems: Text and Materials, 4th ed (2010) Thomson (Sweet and Maxwell).
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the summer exam period.
Key facts
Department: Law
Total students 2017/18: 184
Average class size 2017/18: 11
Capped 2017/18: Yes (234)
Lecture capture used 2017/18: Yes (MT)
Value: Half Unit
PDAM skills
- Communication
- Specialist skills
