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Module Specifications..

Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Jurisprudence II
Module Code LG349
School School of Law & Government
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Ronan Condon
Semester 2: David Keane
Autumn: David Keane
Module TeachersRonan Condon
David Keane
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
None
Students will complete assignments discussing the legal theories covered in lectures
Description

Jurisprudence II builds upon the study of legal theory undertaken in Jurisprudence I. It builds upon and moves beyond the familiar theories of legal positivism and natural law, and embraces such challenging theoretical issues such as the relationship of law to state power, and the conceptual separation of law and politics. It aims to look at theories of law in the broad social, political and economic context.

Learning Outcomes

1. express some of the main preoccupations of jurisprudential writers in the Critical, Marxist, Realist and Postmodernist fields in particular ;
2. to identify, understand and discuss some of the main texts,
3. to relate these works to the historical and social contexts in which they were produced and to relate these to students’ own understanding of legal theory, thus enabling them to articulate their own theories about the nature and function of law.
4. To move beyond analytical and conceptual studies of the meaning and operation of legal rules and focus instead on theories addressing the relationship of law to state power as well as culture and identity.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture24No Description
Independent Study56No Description
Assignment Completion45No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative Syllabus
1. Critical Legal Studies 2. Postmodern Legal Theories 3. Marxist Legal Theory 4. The conflict between legal formalist and legal realism 5. Sociological jurisprudence 6. Historical and anthropological jurisprudence 7. The economic analysis of law

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
AssignmentStudents will complete assignments discussing the legal theories covered in lectures100%
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Freeman: 0, Lloyd's Introduction to Jurisprudence, Sweet and Maxwell,
  • Kelly: 1992, A Short History of Western Legal Theory, Clarendon,
  • Patterson: 1999, A Companion to Philosophy of Law and Legal Theory, Blackwell,
  • Simmonds: 1986, Central Issues in Jurisprudence, Sweet and Maxwell,
  • Unger: 1986, The Critical Legal Studies Movement, Harvard UP,
  • McCoubrey and White: 1999, Textbook on Jurisprudence, Blackstone,
Other Resources

None
Programme or List of Programmes
BCLBachelor of Civil Law (Law & Society)
BCLNBCL (Clinical)
BCLYABCL (International)
EPLBA in Economics, Politics and Law
EPLNBA in Economics, Politics and Law
EPLYABA in Economics, Politics and Law (Int)
Date of Last Revision22-NOV-11
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