Overview
This foundational course examines the structure, purpose, and operation of legal systems, with particular emphasis on common-law reasoning and the relationship between law, society, institutions, and justice. Students study constitutions, legislation, delegated legislation, judicial decisions, custom, treaties, and persuasive authority as sources of law, together with court hierarchies, jurisdiction, and the roles of judges, lawyers, regulators, and tribunals.
The course develops core methods of legal analysis, including precedent, stare decisis, statutory interpretation, legal classification, and introductory civil and criminal procedure. Students learn to identify legal issues, locate and evaluate primary and secondary authorities, distinguish binding from persuasive precedent, interpret statutory language, and apply legal rules to factual scenarios. Instruction includes judgments, statutes, research exercises, problem questions, case briefing, structured legal writing, and introductory advocacy or memorandum work.
Attention is given to legal citation, database research, professional responsibility, access to justice, the limits of legal authority, and the implications of institutional power. Students critically assess fairness and competing interpretations of law while developing clear written and oral explanations of legal reasoning using IRAC or a comparable analytical framework.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and classify major sources of law, including constitutions, legislation, delegated legislation, judicial decisions, custom, treaties, and persuasive authority.
- Explain the functions of courts, tribunals, regulators, judges, and lawyers within a legal system.
- Analyse court hierarchies, jurisdiction, precedent, and stare decisis in relation to legal problem questions.
- Interpret statutory provisions by applying recognised principles of statutory interpretation and legal classification.
- Evaluate the authority, relevance, currency, and reliability of primary and secondary legal sources.
- Construct properly cited legal arguments using IRAC or a comparable structured method.
- Prepare concise case briefs and legal memoranda that accurately distinguish material facts, issues, holdings, reasoning, and remedies.
- Apply introductory principles of civil and criminal procedure to factual scenarios.
- Present legal reasoning clearly in oral advocacy and professional discussion.
- Critically reflect on access to justice, professional responsibility, fairness, institutional power, and the limits of legal authority.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Case brief and authority evaluation | 15.00% |
| Assignment | Legal research memorandum | 25.00% |
| Quiz | Research and citation quizzes (4 × 5%) | 20.00% |
| Tutorial | Advocacy or oral legal reasoning exercise | 10.00% |
| Exam | Final examination | 30.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement 6 NCEA Level 2 English credits, externally assessed
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
