Course overview
How might a public festival be read as a constitutional text? And how might a children's book constitute its readers as subjects of law? By what myth does the hoisting of a flag extend sovereign power? And by what magic does the sound of an auctioneer's gavel create legal rights and obligations? If you think that you can understand law without understanding its cultural sources and forces, then this course will challenge you to think again. While the focus is on modern law and culture inherited from Europe, the course will consider Indigenous and Third World perspectives as well as feminist and queer readings. Take this course and the law will never seem the same again.
Course learning outcomes
- Comprehend contemporary debates in the fields of Cultural Legal Studies, Law and the Humanities, and Law and Society
- Engage critically in these debates, and contribute original thinking through discussion and research
- Analyse and critique information from a wide variety of sources and contexts, and develop a sustained argument
- Communicate effectively through written and oral media, and engage constructively with peers in giving and receiving feedback
- Engage respectfully with a plurality of viewpoints and cultural contexts