Convenor name: Professor Eddie Bruce-Jones
Convenor email: eb55@soas.ac.uk
Office room: S331
Module dates: Semester 1
Intended learning outcomes:
1. Understanding of Critical Perspectives: Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of critical legal theory and critical race theory, including their historical contexts, key concepts, and methodologies, and will be able to critically evaluate their implications for legal scholarship.2. Analytical Skills: Students will cultivate strong analytical skills through the examination of legal texts, case law, and scholarly literature, enabling them to critically assess the role of law in perpetuating or challenging systems of power and inequality.3. Interdisciplinary Perspective: Students will gain insight into the interdisciplinary nature of legal studies, including its intersections with fields such as literature, sociology, and political science, and will be able to apply this interdisciplinary perspective to analyze complex legal issues.4. Literary Engagement: Students will engage with a diverse range of literary works, including fiction, memoir, poetry, and cultural studies scholarship from diverse writers and writers of diaspora communities. They will develop the skills to critically analyze these texts in relation to themes of race, law, and power.5. Critical Reflection: Students will develop the ability to critically reflect on their own positions, perspectives, and assumptions regarding race, law, and literature, and will be able to articulate how their understanding has evolved throughout the course.6. Application of Theory: Students will be able to apply theoretical concepts and frameworks from critical legal theory, critical race theory, and literary studies to analyze and interpret literary texts, demonstrating an understanding of how theory informs and shapes interpretations of literature.7. Effective Communication: Students will enhance their written and oral communication skills through reflective writing, class discussions of close readings, demonstrating the ability to articulate complex ideas and arguments related to race, law, and literature in a clear, coherent, and persuasive manner.8. Ethical Awareness: Students will deepen their understanding of ethical considerations of the law, including issues of social justice, human rights, and professional responsibility, and historical awareness. |
Assessment 1: Name: Assignment 1 (AS1)
Assessment 1: Weighting: 20%
Assessment 1: Due date: 28 November 2025
Assessment 1: Release date: 19 December 2025
Assessment 1: Format: Reflection Essay. 750-word essay
Assessment 2: Name: Assignment 2 (AS2)
Assessment 2: Weighting: 80%
Assessment 2: Due date: 12 January 2025
Assessment 2: Release date: 2 February 2026
Assessment 2: Format: Final Essay. 3000-word essay or creative project
Page type: Module
Study year: 2025/26
Librarian name: Naomi Hart
Librarian email: nh64@soas.ac.uk
Page template: 2025/26 On campus
