Law and Social Science

Overview

This unit provides students with basic and foundational knowledge regarding law and the social sciences as well as an understanding of the challenges and opportunities relating to the confluence of the two disciplines, including across areas such as jury decision-making, eyewitness testimony and expert evidence.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the interaction of legal principles with social science principles
2. Describe and evaluate the considerations that influence decision making by judges and jurors
3. Conduct research and use the results of that research to recommend solutions to impaired perception and decision making in the criminal law
4. Discuss the confluence of law and social science and the implications for the legal system

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Assessment

Content

• Understanding crime from a social science perspective
• Understanding crime from a legal perspective
• The considerations that influence decision making by judges and jurors
• The considerations that influence decision making by police and enforcement agencies
• The considerations that influence decision making by correctional agencies
• Integrating law and social sciences to impact criminal activity
• Integrating law and social sciences to improve offender rehabilitation