This module is not running for 2024-25 entry. Check our LLM and Diploma module list to see other related modules you could take.
This module focuses principally on sociological approaches to law, but with the aim of contrasting philosophical and sociological approaches to legal study, it begins by considering the dominant conceptual approaches to studying law, taking the 20th century examples of Hart and Kelsen. It then moves the focus from theories of law as such, to theories which engage with law from an understanding of modern society. The works of Durkheim, Weber, and Luhmann will be considered with a view to appreciating what they can tell us about the nature of law within modern society. The third section of the course will examine the relevance of sociological approaches to the legal practice, transnational law, and legal reform.
15 Credits