Course Description

Explores major issues and ethical debates about law and society including perspectives on the origins of law; why people obey/disobey law; how ethics affect legal decision-making; the "law in action" versus the "law on the books;" the roles of lawyers, judges, and juries; and law and social change.

---

Athena Title

Sociology of Law

---

Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in SOCI 4830

---

Non-Traditional Format

This version of the course will be taught as writing intensive, which means that the course will include substantial and ongoing writing assignments that a) relate clearly to course learning; b) teach the communication values of a discipline, for example, its practices of argument, evidence, credibility, and format; and c) prepare students for further writing in their academic work, in graduate school, and in professional life. The written assignments will result in a significant and diverse body of written work (the equivalent of 6000 words or 25 pages) and the instructor (and/or the teaching assistant assigned to the course) will be closely involved in student writing, providing opportunities for feedback and substantive revision.

---

Prerequisite

SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101E or SOCI 1101H or permission of department

---

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

---

Student learning Outcomes

• Students will understand and explain how law reflects and shapes a society’s moral values and ethical principles; why people obey/disobey law; how perceptions of justice, morality, and legitimacy affect legal decision-making; rationales for punishment; the "law in action" versus the "law on the books;" the roles of lawyers, judges, and juries; and the effect of law on social change.
• Students will apply sociological theory to real world legal issues and debates.
• Students will synthesize and evaluate social science evidence to construct and communicate arguments for how law should reconcile competing ethical principles.
• Students will collect and analyze quantitative or qualitative social science data; interpret and communicate conclusions based on data analyses data.

---

Topical Outline

• • Metatheoretical Foundations of the Sociology of Law o Law School model o Sociological models: Cultural, Structural, and Conflict Models
• • Micro-foundations of Legal Behavior o Rational Choice o Morality/Normative o Social Construction of Deviance
• • The Law in Action o Civil Dispute Resolution o Criminal Dispute Resolution
• • Institutional Actors: Lawyers, Courts, and Juries
• • Law and Social Change

---

Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes

Analytical Thinking

The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.

---