LAW486
Jurisprudence: Socio-legal approaches to law
(Pavlich)
Prerequisite courses:
Prerequisite for:
Instructor(s): Professor George Pavlich
Method of presentation: Lecture/seminar/other
METHOD OF EVALUATION
Not an exam course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Broadly, the idea of law may be framed in diverse ways. Some legal theorists argue that valid law must reflect eternal, ‘natural,’ or moral laws, while others understand it to be an empirically discernible form of social control that employs distinctive, reason-based rules. Still others regard law as a mere product and reflection of underlying social, political, economic, or cultural divisions (e.g., race, class, gender), pointing to the power, violence, discipline, and force that enables one kind of law’s exclusive claims to justice. Analyzing the theoretical foundations of such ideas, with an investigation into legal pluralism and Indigenous law, the course explores the work of leading social and legal theorists to provide a critical introduction to socio-legal thinking.
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Description updated 2021-22. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.
REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY):
To be determined and announced in class