Studying at York
Advanced Issues in Legal Theory - LAW00044M
Module summary
This module examines the nature of law in light of its relationship to power, injustice, and the state. We examine heterodox accounts of these concepts often excluded from consideration within traditional legal thought.
Related modules
Pre-requisite modules
Co-requisite modules
- None
Prohibited combinations
- None
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2023-24 |
Module aims
- The module considers advanced questions in legal theory with reference to broader underlying philosophical and political issues often through the consideration of meaningful examples.
- Indicative topics include: the authority of law (why, if at all, the law binds us; whether unjust laws can bind us; and whether there is a legitimate role for disobedience to law); feminist and critical legal studies; violence and the State.
- The module aims to develop advanced academic skills in the reading of legal and philosophical texts and the relating of those texts to moral and political problems.
- As a result, the module aims to develop in students advanced analytical skills of problem identifying and solving.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
- By the end of the module, students should be able to analyse and understand advanced texts in legal and political theory;
- They should be able to demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of a variety of philosophical and legal issues relevant to the law.
Academic and graduate skills
- To identify, retrieve and discriminate among sources of information relevant to philosophical questions about law;
- To synthesise and analyse a variety of information sources to develop further knowledge, construct arguments, draw conclusions supported by appropriate authority, and evaluate the merits of alternative arguments.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive feedback on their Formative assessment by the end of the Spring Term (allowing them to use this in preparing their Summative assessment over the Spring vacation. Feedback on their Summative Assessment will be given not more than 6 weeks after its submission. All feedback will be written with the opportunity for the students to follow this up in a one-to-one meeting.
Indicative reading
H.L.A Hart, The Concept of Law
R. Dworkin, Law s Empire.