Objectives
This course is designed to give students the intellectual tools to research and evaluate the way the legal system works in practice in society. Students develop: * an understanding of concepts central to the structure and functioning of a just society, such as rights, laws, freedom, power and rules; * an overview of how modern society works, as well as different conceptions of justice; * skills to research and analyse social issues and assess proposals for social change; and * a specific understanding of social policy, including how public policy is developed, implemented, reviewed and reformed within society. Learning outcomes Upon graduating, students will: * have acquired high levels of skills applicable in many occupations; * have the ability to reason and argue clearly; * understand complex positions and their implications; * have the ability to recognise and resolve issues involving values; and * have the skills required to understand and constructively criticise contemporary life.
Course description
The Bachelor of Justice and Society examines questions such as:
* What is justice, and does the legal system achieve it?
* What ethical and legal rules should govern the activities of governments, corporations and community organisations?
* What ethical, social and legal issues arise from problems of gender, power, class, race, and our relationship with the environment?
The course combines legal studies and philosophy, while offering a wide choice of elective options.
You will develop strong skills in reasoning and argument and learn to locate, read and analyse legal materials as well as conduct research and examine possible reforms in relation to pressing legal issues.
What will I study?
Refer to the program of study.
Why study Justice and Society at Flinders?
The Bachelor of Justice and Society at Flinders:
* meets a specific need for analytical and reasoning skills in our complex modern society
* provides for employment in policy analysis, project officer roles, justice administration, human resources and paralegal work in the public and private sectors and with Non-Government Organisations
* gives you important generic work skills, including the capacity to learn new skills and procedures, the capacity for cooperation and teamwork, and communication and presentation skills
* offers opportunities for improving skills and for job advancement for those working in law enforcement, health, and the public sector
* provides the foundation for postgraduate study in public policy and social philosophy, justice administration and socio-legal studies.
Combined degree options
Combine with
Duration (full-time equivalent)
Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice
6 years
For further information refer to Justice and Society combined degrees for further information.
Career opportunities
What can I do with my Bachelor of Justice and Society degree?
Study a language
Flinders also offers all students the opportunity to major in a language in conjunction with any undergraduate course. The Diploma in Language is designed to provide students with competence in a chosen language that adds greater portability to their qualifications. You will complete a total of one extra year of study and graduate with both your chosen degree and the Diploma in Language. You can apply for this at time of enrolment.
The Bachelor of Justice and Society requires three years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time) and the honours program an additional year (or the equivalent part-time). The course is offered by the Faculty of Education, Humanities, Law and Theology.
Enrolment in the honours program may be offered to a student who meets certain academic criteria and subject to the school/department being able to provide appropriate resources and staff to supervise the program of study.
A Bachelor of Justice and Society also may be studied in a combined program with a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (five-and-a-half years full-time or equivalent) and a Bachelor of Laws (five years full-time or equivalent).
PROGRAM OF STUDY [November, 2008]
To qualify for the Bachelor of Justice and Society, a student must complete 108 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study.
Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.
Elective topics may be selected from any offered by the University, provided entry and course requirements are met.
First Year
36 units comprising:
CRIM1003
Crime and Criminology
4.5
CRIM1004
Criminal Justice System
4.5
LEGL1001
Australian Legal System
4.5
PHIL1030
The Individual and Society
4.5
PHIL1060
Critical Reasoning
4.5
LEGL1003
Contemporary Legal Issues
4.5
First Year elective topics
9
Second and Third Years
72 units comprising:
(a)
at least one of:
PHIL2330
Freedom, Law and Society
6
PHIL2335
Rights, Welfare and Power
6
(b)
at least one of:
PHIL2110
Moral Philosophy
6
PHIL2130
Bioethics
6
(c)
and 6 units of Philosophy topics from the following:
PHIL2010
Epistemology and Metaphysics
6
PHIL2022
Reality, Perception and Knowledge
6
PHIL2024
Evolution, Knowledge and Ethics
6
PHIL2025
Paradox, Truth and Being
6
PHIL2030
Knowing Minds
6
PHIL2040
Mind and Consciousness
6
PHIL2051
Philosophy of Language
6
PHIL2080
Logic, Reasoning and Argumentation
6
PHIL2110
Moral Philosophy
6
PHIL2130
Bioethics
6
PHIL2140
Environmental Philosophy
6
PHIL2252
Theories of Self and Subjectivity
6
PHIL2330
Freedom, Law and Society
6
PHIL2325
Gender and Power
6
PHIL2335
Rights, Welfare and Power
6
PHIL2345
Ethics for Professionals
6
PHIL2400
Philosophy and the Good Life
6
PHIL2401
Philosophy of the Arts
6
(d)
and
LEGL2002
Researching Juvenile Crime
6
(e)
and 12 units of Legal Studies topics from the following:
LEGL2001
Child Protection
6
LEGL2003
Gender, Law and Society
6
LEGL2004
Access to Justice in Australia
6
LEGL2100
Small Business: Legal Issues
6
LEGL2101
Small Business: Legal Foundations
3
LEGL2102
Small Business: Legal Applications
3
LEGL2103
Technology, Regulation and Society
6
LEGL3002
Income Support, Justice and the State
6
LEGL3007
Information Technology and the Law
6
LEGL3010
Comparing Legal Cultures
6
LEGL3013
Law and Welfare
6
LEGL3014
Migrants, Policy and the Law
6
LEGL3016
Law and Urban Change: The Impact of Built Heritage
6
LEGL3021
Mediation Theory and Practice
6
LEGL3023
Cultural Heritage and the Law
6
LEGL3027
Law, Public Health and the Environment
6
LEGL3028
Regulating Environmental Change
6
OR
Students may substitute one 6-unit topic from the following list for the Second and Third Year LEGL topics above:
LLAW2027
Law and Literature
6
CRIM3001
Punishment, Sentencing and the State
6
INTR3059
Debating Human Rights in International Relations
6
PHIL2330
Freedom Law and Society
6
SOCI3026
Sociology of Law
6
WMST2009
Sex, Gender and the Law
6
Not all these topics will be available each year.
(f)
and
JUSS3000
Seminar in Justice and Society
6
(g)
Either
JUSS3001
Practicum/Work Placement in Bachelor of Justice and Society
6
AND 24 units of upper level elective topics
OR 30 units of upper level elective topics
HONOURS DEGREE
A student who has completed all the requirements of the Bachelor of Justice and Society, or another qualification which the Faculty Board agrees is equivalent, may be accepted as a candidate for the honours degree providing a sufficiently high standard has been achieved in fulfilling the requirements for the bachelors degree. Consult the Bachelor of Justice and Society honours handbook for more details.
To qualify for the honours degree, a student must complete satisfactorily 36 units of study, comprising: 9-unit Legal Studies honours topic; 9-unit Philosophy honours topic; and 18-unit Thesis.
COMBINED DEGREES PROGRAM
BACHELOR OF JUSTICE AND SOCIETY/BACHELOR OF LAWS AND LEGAL PRACTICE
The combined degrees program of Bachelor of Justice and Society/Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice requires the completion of a minimum of 192 units of study and a Bachelor of Justice and Society/Bachelor of Laws a minimum of 174 units.
For admission to the program, students must first apply for admission to the Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice. If successful, they will be given the option of taking up the combined degrees program at the time of their first enrolment.
Eligible students who decline the offer to take up the combined degrees program at enrolment and wish in a subsequent year to enrol in the combined degrees program will be required to apply to SATAC for admission to the Bachelor of Justice and Society.
Students who commence, but subsequently do not wish to complete, the combined degrees program may be eligible to transfer to either the Bachelor of Justice and Society or Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice programs and to receive credit for some or all of the topics already completed.
Program of study
To qualify for the combined degrees of Bachelor of Justice and Society/Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice a student must complete the following program of study with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic:
* a Law component of 138 units for the Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice or 120 units for the Bachelor of Laws [see Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice entry for further information];
* a Justice and Society component of 66 units, consisting of 27 units of Philosophy topics including PHIL1030 and PHIL1060 at first year level and 18 units at upper level as set out under clauses (a), (b) and (c) of the program of studies for the Bachelor of Justice and Society. Students must also complete 27 units of Legal Studies topics including LEGL1001 and LEGL1003 at first year level and 18 units at upper level as set out under clauses (d) and (e) of the program of studies for the Bachelor of Justice and Society.
Students must also complete JUSS3000 (clause f) and either JUSS3001 or an upper level elective. The Bachelor of Justice and Society component may be reduced to a minimum of 54 units if PHIL2330 and up to 6 units from CRIM2002, CRIM3001, CRIM3002 or CRIM3003 are included as electives in the Law component.
