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  

This module provides students with an introduction to some key issues in legal and political philosophy. An overarching theme is the relationship between law and morality. An overarching aim is to adjudication.

This theme is initially explored through a consideration of the nature of law in general in particular, its relationship to coercion, authority, and the concept of a rule. Later in the module, focus shifts to philosophical analysis of particular topics in constitutional and tort law - two subjects students encounter in detail in their doctrinal studies. As such, not only will this course provide students with a solid foundation in jurisprudence, it is also designed to illuminate and deepen their understanding of other aspects of law, introducing them to these philosophical concepts at the outset of their law degree at Trinity College Dublin.