LAU10522 Jurisprudence

Learning Outcomes                  

By the end of this module, students should be able to:   

• Identify the nature, purpose and limits of law;  

• Identify and analyse the key principles underlying democratic legal systems;  

• Articulate the multiple relationships between law and morality;  

• Analyse the tensions between democracy and rights;  

• Identify and analyse applications of moral philosophy to aspects of both public and private law, and  

• Engage in theoretical analysis and argumentation.    

Module Content  

The purpose of this module is to provide students with an overview of some key issues in contemporary jurisprudence and moral and political philosophy, encouraging them to engage critically and analytically with current debates. This module covers issues concerning the nature of law and adjudication, situated against the broader backdrop of the links between law and morality. The theme of linkages between law and morality is further explored through an analysis of the concept of the rule of law, the interaction between entrenched legal rights and democracy, and the basis for any obligation to obey the law. Not only will this course provide students with a solid foundation in jurisprudence, it is also designed to illuminate and deepen understanding of other aspects of law by introducing students to relevant philosophical concepts at the very outset of their law degree at Trinity College Dublin.