Major Overview

Description

How does law shape our lives and the world around us? In the Law and Society major, you can engage with human rights, crime and justice, Indigenous legal systems, international law, and how the law shapes health and medicine, freedom of expression, social media and other aspects of society. You will explore the real-world impact of law and legal institutions on people's lives and investigate the symbiotic relationship between legal change and social change. In the Law and Society major you will develop skills in research, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. These skills enable graduates to pursue varied careers in the private, non-profit and public sectors, including law-related policy and research roles.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

  1. demonstrate comprehensive understanding with depth in what we know about the law, how it is made and how it works in our society
  2. demonstrate understanding of the underlying dynamics of the interdisciplinary field of law and society and its relationship to criminology including an in-depth understanding of legal reasoning, rules, institutions, players and power structures
  3. demonstrate understanding of the relationship between local, national and international legal systems, rules, practices and institutions
  4. demonstrate understanding of how law operates within social, cultural, political and historical contexts
  5. demonstrate well-developed cognitive skills to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge, identify and solve defined problems, and exercise critical judgement and thinking in creating new understanding
  6. demonstrate well-developed bibliographic and referencing skills
  7. demonstrate basic time and project management skills
  8. demonstrate well-developed skills to present data and evidence in an appropriate format and communicate through written and oral media clearly, effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts for a variety of audiences
  9. demonstrate well-developed skills to work productively in a group; (10) use judgement and initiative by developing (a) ethical approaches and mature judgement in practical and academic matters; and (b) the capacity for effective citizenship, leadership and teamwork; and (11) take responsibility and accountability for their own learning having developed attitudes which (a) value learning; and (b) respect Indigenous knowledge, values and culture.
Broadening guidelines
All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so and to pursue as many areas of interest as you can during your course of study. At the same time, we know that many of you value the University's guidance and assistance in planning your enrolment throughout your course, so we offer the following suggestions for your consideration as possible avenues to broaden your degree. Do always remember, however, that there is no wrong way to broaden your studies as long as you complete at least four units not associated with your Degree Specific Major. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.
Suggested units to broaden your study area, are:
(1) LAWS1112 Law for Everyday Lives
(2) GEND1901 Beyond 'Gender Wars'
(3) PHIL1002 Introduction to Critical Thinking
(4) GEOG1104 Disasters!
(5) HIST3007 Crime and Punishment in Britain 1600–1900
(6) HIST2224 American Outlaws: Crime and Punishment in the United States
(7) INDG1160 Boodjar Moort Katitjin: Introduction to Indigenous Heritage and Knowledge
(8) HIST1104 The History of Human Rights
(9) ANTH2406 Society, Law and Politics
(10) MUSC3511 Beyond the Fear: Presentation and Performance Skills
Courses

Law and Society can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

Example Study Plan

See study plans for more information.

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
N/A
not available in 2027 – may be available in 2028 or 2029

Level 1

Students taking this major in conjunction with the Criminology major [MJD-CRIMN] must select their units such that no more than 18 points, comprising 12 points at level one and 6 points at level two, of units are shared between the two majors. No level three units may be shared between the majors. Students encountering any difficulties reflecting this requirement in their study plan should seek guidance from their allocated advising office.

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (12 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 LAWS1110 Crime and Society None
S1 LAWS1111 Law in Context None
Degree-specific major units

It is recommended that you also take this unit, though note that it is not compulsory:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 LAWS1112 Law for Everyday Lives None

Level 2

Students taking this major in conjunction with the Criminology major [MJD-CRIMN] must select their units such that no more than 18 points, comprising 12 points at level one and 6 points at level two, of units are shared between the two majors. No level three units may be shared between the majors. Students encountering any difficulties reflecting this requirement in their study plan should seek guidance from their allocated advising office.

Degree-specific major units

Take the following unit:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 LAWS2227 Law in Action
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
LAWS1111 Law in Context
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 LAWS2220 Birth, Life and Death: Health and Medical Law
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any one LAWS1104 Introduction to Law
or LAWX1104 Introduction to Law
or LAWS1110 Crime and Society
or LAWS1111 Law in Context
or LAWS1112 Law for Everyday Lives
or GEND1901 Beyond 'Gender Wars'
or ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human
or ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human
or IMED1001 Form and Function
or IMED1002 The Facts of Life
or IMED1108 Issues in Women's Health Across the Lifespan
or PUBH1101 Health and Illness in Human Populations
or PUBH1102 Foundations of Global Health
or HUMR1001 Human Rights in Global Perspective
or NEUR1001 Neuroscience in Society
or PHAR1101 Drugs that Changed the World
or PHYL1001 Physiology - How your body works
or PHIL1001 Ethics for the Digital Age: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy
S2 LAWS2223 Criminal Justice Systems
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
LAWS1110 Crime and Society
S2 LAWS2224 Human Rights: Law and Context
Co-requisites
Enrolment in
or Successful completion of
LAWS1111 Law in Context
S2 LAWS2225 Indigenous Peoples and the Law
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
LAWS1104 Introduction to Law
or LAWX1104 Introduction to Law
or LAWS1111 Law in Context
or LAWS1120 Australian Legal Principles and Institutions
or LAWS1112 Law for Everyday Lives
or LAWS2220 Birth, Life and Death: Health and Medical Law
or LAWS2224 Human Rights: Law and Context
or INDG1150 Aboriginal Encounters: Strangers in our Backyard
or INDG1160 Boodjar Moort Katitjin: Introduction to Indigenous Heritage and Knowledge

Level 3

Students taking this major in conjunction with the Criminology major [MJD-CRIMN] must select their units such that no more than 18 points, comprising 12 points at level one and 6 points at level two, of units are shared between the two majors. No level three units may be shared between the majors. Students encountering any difficulties reflecting this requirement in their study plan should seek guidance from their allocated advising office.

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (12 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 LAWS3316 Law and Social Change
Prerequisites
Successful completion of 66 points in your chosen degree and
LAWS2227 Law in Action
or LAWS2223 Criminal Justice Systems
S1 LAWS3344 Law and Power
Prerequisites
LAWS2227 Law in Action
or LAWS2223 Criminal Justice Systems
or LAWS2224 Human Rights: Law and Context
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
N/A LAWS3214 International Law and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
72 points in an undergraduate degree.
N/A LAWS3221 Creative Expression and the Law
Prerequisites
LAWS1104 Introduction to Law
or LAWS1111 Law in Context
or LAWS1120 Australian Legal Principles and Institutions
or LAWS1112 Law for Everyday Lives
and LAWS2227 Law in Action
Incompatibility
LAWS2221 Creative Expression and the Law
S1 LAWS3317 Social Media and the Law
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
72 points in your chosen degree
S2 LAWS3374 Crime, Justice and Public Policy
Prerequisites
Successful completion of LAWS2223 Criminal Justice Systems
or
LAWS2227 Law in Action and two Unit(s) from the MJD-LWSOC Law and Society major
S2 PARL3399 WA Parliamentary Research Program
Prerequisites
Acceptance into the WA Parliamentary Research Program
and Successful completion of
96 points in your chosen degree
or approval from the School