LAW-10049 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module offers you an introduction to some of the major classic and modern legal theories, including critical legal studies, socio-legal approaches, feminist legal studies, and postcolonial theory. Through engaging critically with a range of different approaches to legal study, you will build on and further develop your academic legal skills, including group work and debating. You will gain a strong theoretical grounding in the major academic legal traditions, providing an essential foundation for your future legal studies.

The module is designed to provide students with foundational knowledge and understanding of modern and critical theories of law, justice and society.
The aim is to expose you to different critical theoretical approaches to understanding the nature and function of law including Legal Realism, Feminist Legal Studies and Postcolonialism and the law.
The module provides foundational knowledge for Level 5 modules, such as Contemporary Issues in Law and Law in the 21st Century, and Level 6 modules such as Law, Equality and Human Rights and Law and the Family.
Moreover, it gives students a sound footing who intend to explore their own research project theoretically through an independent study project e.g. dissertation, at Level 6.
The module focuses on the development of the following Graduate Attributes: Social and ethical responsibility and academic expertise.
Ultimately, the aim is to support students to develop critical thinking skills in order to become critical lawyers or critical legal scholars.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Describe key theories of law, justice and society with reference to relevant academic literature: 1
Explain how these theories affect our understanding of law in the political, social, economic and cultural contexts: 1
Formulate a critical judgment on a legal issue through a theoretical lens: 2
Reflect on the critical judgment that they have produced, with a focus on their engagement with the theories
: 2

Study hours

Active Learning:
10 x 1 hour lectures
8 x 2 hour interactive workshops
Independent Study:
8 x 5 h Workshop preparation
21h Independent reading
15h Preparation for the narrated Powerpoint presentation (group meetings, researching, reading and creating the presentation)
48h Researching and writing critical judgment and reflection:

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment