Law

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

• Martin Luther King Jr.

The law is about society’s efforts to promote fairness and justice. It involves formal rules that are enforced and adjudicated by institutions. The law shapes politics, the economy, and society in many ways as it attempts to mediate relationships between people.

The Grade 11 and 12 law courses provide students with opportunities to develop an understanding of the historical and philosophical foundations of our legal system. Students develop an understanding of the relevance of law in everyday life and of their rights and responsibilities within the Canadian legal system. What they learn about the law will also help students understand why laws change over time.

Both courses introduce students to the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking. Students will develop ways of thinking about law through the application of these concepts. They will also use the legal studies inquiry process as they gather, interpret, and analyse evidence and information on issues relating to justice and human rights and make informed judgements and draw conclusions about them.

Goals of Law: Developing a sense of fairness and justice What are our rights and responsibilities? How does society create its rules? What structures can people use to address conflict?

Students will work towards:

• developing an understanding of the fundamental principles of justice as well as the relevance of law to society and to the daily lives of individuals;
• analysing the role of law in determining and upholding the rights and responsibilities of all people, and assessing the impact of the law and legal systems in people’s lives;
• developing an understanding of the role of the justice system in a healthy democracy and the contribution of individuals and groups to the evolution of law;
• analysing issues and managing conflict in their own lives through the application of legal reasoning.