LL6050 - Jurisprudence (2022/23)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2022/23 | ||||||||||
| Module title | Jurisprudence | ||||||||||
| Module level | Honours (06) | ||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||
| School | Guildhall School of Business and Law | ||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||
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| Assessment components |
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| Running in 2022/23(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
Jurisprudence provides an introduction to legal theory, covering basic theoretical and ethical perspectives on the law. Students will receive a sound understanding of the theories of different jurisprudential schools of thought and the contributions made to legal thinking by leading jurists from the Ancient Greeks to contemporary thinkers. The aim is to provide students with background knowledge of the science or philosophy of law. Students will learn how jurisprudence has contributed to the development of modern political, economic and legal systems. In addition, the course is placed in a modern setting and aims to raise contemporary ethical debates in order to raise awareness of the ethical background against which the law and legal practice needs to be understood.
The study of jurisprudence permits a fuller understanding of the rational and ethical values that underpin the law and systems of justice.
The aims of this module include:
1. To provide students with an understanding of legal ideologies which have contributed to the development of legal, political and socio-economic systems in the world.
2. To explore philosophical questions relevant to legal systems, particularly concerning the relationship between law and morality.
3. To encourage students to recognize the ethical issues inherent in legal thinking and practice and to examine and articulate their own arguments in respect of such issues.
4. To develop the students’ powers of reasoning and critical thinking and to increase their awareness of the relevance of theoretical issues to practical problems.
5. To enable students to increase their capacity to work in teams cooperatively and effectively through participation in topical debates and to take initiative and responsibility in the context of such group work, so increasing competence in discussion and oral presentation.
6. To develop further students’ ability to organise and synthesise large amounts of information in order to present key issues at an early stage in their research.
Prior learning requirements
None
Syllabus
Legal Ideologies LO1, LO2 and LO3
• Positivism
• Natural law
• Feminist theory
• Ethical theory
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
Learning and Teaching Strategy
Weekly two-hour lecture and one-hour seminar.
The lecture will be used for:
• Dissemination of knowledge through an overview of each topic with detailed guidance on appropriate aspects;
• An introduction to relevant academic literature;
• Guidance on learning strategies;
• Use of WebLearn and IT resources;
• Whole group questions and discussion.
The seminar will be used for the development of skills necessary to attain the module learning outcomes through:
• Written and oral questions/answers designed to reinforce fundamental rules, principles and cases;
• A range of step-by-step analytical exercises;
• Problem solving;
• IT tasks, such as research of cases and statutes;
• Legal writing.
Blended Learning
All learning materials, previous examination questions and sample Q/A’s will be on WebLearn for use in directed private study.
Student engagement will be encouraged in both lectures and seminars through weekly use of WebLearn for access to all of the above materials.
There will be required use of the professional legal databases, especially Westlaw and Lexis Library, for legal research.
Opportunities for reflective learning/pdp
Each weekly seminar will contain space for students to reflect on what they have learnt in relation to the overall syllabus. There will be frequent feedback opportunities structured into the timetable and a range of sample answers posted onto WebLearn.
Students’ Study Responsibilities
The need for attendance, punctuality, preparation and engagement will be emphasised with particular reference to written and IT research, problem-solving, team-work, discussion, debate and critical awareness of the subject.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, the students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate the main tenets of the theories examined during the course.
2. Relate the theories to concrete branches of the law.
3. Demonstrate the ability to present a cogent piece of research relating to the topics covered in the syllabus.
Assessment strategy
Written and Oral Presentation
Students will write and present a research paper on a relevant, approved topic of their own choice.