| Unit name | Law and Society |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LANG00060 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | QCA-3 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Mr. Thornthwaite |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
IELTS: minimum 6.0 overall; minimum 5.5 in Writing component, minimum 5.0 in Speaking, Listening and Reading components, or equivalent |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Centre for Academic Language and Development |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Law and Society is a thought-provoking and enriching unit that explores the practice of law within the different contexts where it is conceived, interpreted, and applied. The roots of concepts such as justice and crime run very deep into the histories of global cultures. Legal scholars and philosophers continue to discuss, debate, and challenge these definitions, which have a real-world impact through changes to legislation and the working of the courts and other institutions, showing the law’s potential to drive societal change.
The unit explores how the law is represented in art, culture and media, providing an understanding of its position and influence in society. Media can be an important campaigning tool in law cases and in legal reform. At the same time it is often the only knowledge of the legal system that non-legal professionals have, when they find themselves accused of a crime or sitting on a jury.
This unit is complementary with Foundations of Law and serves to build a broad and inclusive understanding of how the law operates and develops your communication and critical thinking skills. Theories explored include natural law, legal positivism, feminist legal theory, and critical race theory.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit contains important content from the disciplines of Law and Criminology and complements Foundations of Law (LANG00051).
An overview of content
In this unit, you will learn how crime and social deviance are constructed. You will see historical, sociological and philosophical perspectives on what constitutes a crime at different times and places around the world. Different cultures’ artistic representations of justice, the law, and crime will enrich your understanding of how these things are practiced and responded to both historically and today.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
A rich, diverse and global perspective on legal issues is foregrounded in this unit. You will understand that the law is neither a single, fixed concept nor a series of processes and rules that must be followed. A wide range of future options for legal study will be opened up to better inform your future academic choices.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Distinguish key legal philosophies whilst identifying the fundamental principles behind each philosophy.
2. Critically analyse how the law is shaped and influenced by the society in which it operates, considering social, historical and cultural contexts and representations.
3. Evaluate the relationship between law and cultural representations, showing how legal philosophies and societal expressions influence and critique one another.
Teaching is facilitated through weekly workshops. Classes are delivered interactively, using a combination of teacher input and student discussions. This means you should come prepared to ask questions, join in discussions and make notes. You may also have the opportunity to visit the law library and the courts, as well as attend presentations from guest speakers.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan:
Any student registered on the International Foundation Programme will be offered a conditional place on an undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol. Students must meet the entry requirements to be admitted onto an undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol. Different degree programmes may have different entry requirements. The IFP Board will review the mark profiles of all students who are close to attaining the entry requirements but are outside the previously agreed near miss criteria and may agree to admit them to a degree programme. If not admitted, students may be offered a further opportunity (i.e. two attempts in total) to meet the entry requirements for their intended degree programme at the University of Bristol by re-taking a relevant assessment. Marks are not capped for this purpose. If a student is absent or their performance in assessment is significantly affected due to exceptional circumstances, they may re-take the relevant assessment at the next appropriate time, without penalty.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LANG00060).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
