Current Courses

This course will introduce students to the relationships between law, politics, and Canadian society. Students will examine types of law, the judicial system, the legal profession, and the institutional, social, and cultural contexts in which laws are made and enforced. The course will engage students in debates about citizen rights, the policy-making role of courts, Aboriginal peoples and the law, public opinion and the legislative process, media and the law, and other topical issues.

The question 'What is law?' is an ancient one. Philosophers attempt to answer this question and to provide explanations of the source of legal legitimacy. This course explores traditional and contemporary theoretical perspectives on law. Natural law, utilitarian and legal positivist approaches are among those considered. Prerequisite: LAPS 1003.