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Unit of study_

LAWS5217: The History of Legal Thought

2025 unit information

This unit of study introduces the history of legal theory through a critical reading of the central debates in jurisprudence over two centuries. Students will read canonical Anglo-American legal thinkers (from William Blackstone and Jeremy Bentham to Harold Laski and H.L.A. Hart) and their contemporary interlocutors (from Ram Mohan Roy and B.R. Ambedkar to Nelson Mandela and Mao Zedong). The unit situates each legal debate in their historical context exploring, especially the evolving political economy of capitalism. Students will develop skills in critical reading and writing that will assist them as lawyers engaged in contemporary Australian and international debates on the nature and future of law. 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 Postgraduate
Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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LAWS3517
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. analyse, evaluate, and critique legal and philosophical arguments
  • LO2. demonstrate enhanced cultural competency through a critical engagement with Indigenous legal thought, as well as texts produced by theorists in and of the Global South.

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.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.