Philosophy of Law Syllabus Fall

2017

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed for those students, philosophy majors and non-majors alike, interested in the theoretical foundations of the law. The course will be taught thematically. We will begin by with the concept of natural law, which is based on the idea that justice has its foundations in principles which transcend laws enacted by governments. We will then by reading some of the most important and enduring contributions to legal philosophy, known as legal positivism. This school of thought conceives of law as an extension of the legitimate political authority. Next we will cover the school of legal pragmatism and its extension, legal realism. Last we will cover critical legal studies and feminist legal theory.

2010

This paper goes beyond the existing literature and explores the innovative topic of designing criterionreferenced assessment for online discussion forums. There are several benefits of embedding online discussion forums into subjects including engaging students in collaborative learning, and encouraging deeper analysis, critical thinking and reflection. Using the assessment principles of validity, reliability and transparency, this paper offers a range of practical strategies to tutors who plan to develop criterionreferenced assessment as opposed to norm-referenced assessment for online discussion forums, applies the assessment principles in the context of an undergraduate law subject, and exemplars a rubric for an online discussion forum in a work placement subject.