6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023300AER for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Possible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Law and Criminology
Department
Metajuridica
Educational team
Niels Van Dijk (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
26 contact hours Lecture
70 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

Law does not exist in isolation, nor only in the books. It is a fundamental part of society with which it is in constant interaction. It is thus of great importance for the study of law and criminology to obtain better knowledge of this interaction. This course will therefore deal with the broader social, economic and political factors that influence law and its place and function within society. It will introduce students in both sociology and the sociological study of law.

On the one hand the course will deal with the founders, theories, methods and basic concepts of sociology as a science of society as a complex phenomenon. These insights will then be applied to law. It will treat both the influence of society on law (the social production of law) and the influence of law on society (the social effect of law)

On the other hand, the course will treat legal sociology as a specific discipline or science, which studies the origin, development and social function of law in an empirical manner. It will deal with a series of themes and institutions that are relevant for law, such as legislation, adjudication, legal professions and enforcement. Finally, it will discuss the (changing) relations between citizen, law and society.

Course material
Handbook (Required) : Dialogen tussen recht en samenleving, Een handboek over het rechtssociologisch onderzoek in Vlaanderen, Koen Van Aeken , Steven Gibens , Bernard Hubeau , Stephan Parmentier , Jean Van Houtte, 2de, Acco, 9789463448338, 2019
Handbook (Required) : Sociologie en rechtssociologie, Van Dijk Niels, Acco, 9789464147872, 2020
Digital course material (Required) : Extra teksten, Canvas, 9789464674682, 2023
Digital course material (Required) : Powerpoint presentaties, Canvas
Additional info

Online learning platform.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

The student is capable:

  • Of describing the main founding figures and theories of sociology.
  • Of explaining the main sociological concepts and foundations.
  • Of autonomously articulating the main processes and opposed forces in society.
  • Of characterizing the own character of sociology as a science.
  • Of relating sociological theories to the legal system.
  • Of discussing the sociological approach to law.
  • Of explaining the main concepts and foundations of legal sociology.
  • Of explaining legal-sociological analyses of legal institutions and themes in its own words.
  • Of applying theories and concepts of legal sociology on contemporary problems and cases related to law.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Examen Schriftelijk with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The exam is a written exam, based on multiple choice questions.

The multiple-choice section will be graded by positive scoring with Higher Pass Mark (see additional information on CANVAS). Thus, no points will be deducted for a wrong answer. On the other hand, gaining points by guessing will be incorporated into the final point by increasing the pass mark. The pass mark for the exam and the exact conversion table will be communicated in a timely manner on Canvas and in the exam instructions. The exam strategy by this method is simple: do your best on all of the exam, questions you don't know or partially know, you can guess to the best of your ability, without worrying about possible point deductions.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Clinical psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Laws: default (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Criminology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)