As students progress in their study of law and society, they will examine the interaction of law within various social institutions. Not only will they focus on how the law functions as a tool for dispute processing and social control, but students will also examine how law can potentially be used as a tool for change. In this course, participants will also reflect on social and legal theories from a variety of theoretical perspectives as well as receive a brief overview of the origins of the law and society movement while drawing on classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives.
In this course, students will learn about the interaction of law and society, the pervasive influence of law in all aspects of social interaction, and the process through which law is created and changed. Key topics include traditional and contemporary views on the origin of law, law and social control, law and social change, and law as a tool for conflict resolution.
Throughout this course, students will focus on the analysis of several issues and ask themselves the following questions: What is law? How does law function (or dysfunction)? And how and why is law created?
By the end of this course, students will be able to differentiate between theories offered to explain the origins and role of law and articulate a position on issues concerning the relationship between law and society.
Students will be able to describe the organizational structure of the law, including both legal and extra-legal social institutions, explain the process of lawmaking and evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of various dispute resolution processes.
Participants will know how to describe the processes through which the American legal system functions as an agent of social control as well as the evolution of the legal profession. They will also outline various perspectives on law as a tool for social change.