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Unit of study_
LAWS3513: Philosophy of Criminal Law
2026 unit information
This course examines and evaluates theories of law through the perspective of the criminal law. It has been said that criminal law may be understood as an application of certain tenets of liberal moral and political philosophy. But the politicisation of crime, penal populism and the rise of the administrative state and the co-evolution and fragmentation of notions of personhood, citizenship, and society challenges this assumption. The course surveys leading theories of criminal law and attempts to use them to critically assess the evolving mix of criminal law doctrines, practices and procedures in place in legal systems such as those of Australia. Topics include the nature of criminal responsibility, the moral limits of the criminal law, objects of criminalisation and legal subjectivity. This unit satisfies the Part 2 (Jurisprudence) requirement of the LLB.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
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LAWS1016 or LAWS1028 |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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LAWS5213 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Through an analysis and evaluation of aspects of the philosophy of criminal law, students should acquire an understanding of the connections between philosophy and criminal laws, practices.
- LO2. Students should be able to identify the theoretical and thematic interconnections between criminal law doctrines through a philosophical analysis.
- LO3. Students should develop a familiarity with a range of different theoretical traditions in philosophy of criminal law and be able to engage in critical reading of works of philosophy of criminal law, legal theory and related fields.
- LO4. Students should develop the ability to evaluate and synthesise in a contemporary context the knowledge acquired from class discussion and readings.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
There are no availabilities for this year.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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