LAW 121G - Law and Society

Credit points: 15 points
Offered: Semester One and Semester Two
Course Director: Dr Anna Hood (S1), Professor Jane Kelsey (S2)
Prerequisites: None

Course overview

The Law and Society course will cover five main areas:

1. The Branches of Government and Historical Background

2. Concepts of Law

3. The Global Context of Law

4. Law and Rights

5. Constitutional Directions

The course aims to encourage you to think about the characteristics of the New Zealand legal system and constitution, its colonial origins and the contemporary place of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the impact of global perspectives on law in New Zealand.

We invite you to develop your own views on how law and the legal system relate to important issues within our society:

  • Why do we have the type of legal system we have?
  • What were, and are, the influences (local and global) that frame it?• How does it affect different groups of people?
  • Does a legal system derived from Britain in the colonial era adequately deal with the rights of Maori and the duties of the Crown under the Treaty of Waitangi as they are now understood?
  • Are there alternative constitutional arrangements that would more adequately meet the needs of all peoples in this country?

Assessment

Semester One:

Early assessment (0%)

1000 word essay (30%)

2 hour closed-book exam (70%)

Semester Two:

TBC