Carleton University Department of Law and Legal Studies

Course Outline

COURSE: LAWS 1001 A/T

TERM: FALL 2019

CLASS: Laws 1001A: Lectures for Laws 1001A will be held Mondays, 9:33-11:25 a.m. in Theatre
B Southam Hall
Laws 1001T: Course access for Laws 1001T students may be found at:
http://carleton.ca/cuol/access-course

INSTRUCTOR: Jane Dickson, PhD (Law)

CONTACT: Office: Room D592 Loeb Building

Office Hrs: Mondays, 1:30-3:00 p.m., or by appointment only
Telephone: 613-520-2600, ex. 3686
Email: Jane.dickson@carleton.ca

CALENDAR COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction to legal studies: concepts, sources, nature and functions of law; historical, cultural and
constitutional foundations of Canadian legal system; common and civil law traditions; statutory
interpretation; precedent; legal institutions; frameworks for analyzing formal and informal conceptions of
law and its role in society.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed as a basic introduction to the conceptual and relational foundations of law and
legal studies. Students will be encouraged to engage with the social and cultural character of the law
and legal system, and to turn a critical lens on the relationship between law and society.

REQUIRED TEXTS

1. Stephen Tasson, Rebecca Bromwich, Jane Dickson, Vincent Kazmierski, Bettina Appel Kuzmarov,
Sébastien Malette, Umut Öszu (eds.), Introduction to Legal Studies: Foundations and Rights
Protection (vol.1) Canadian Legal Studies Series (Concord: Captus Press, 2080); ISBN 978-1-
55322-375-7.

2. Rick Ruddell, George Pavlich, Exploring Criminal Justice in Canada - Law and Society Redefined,
Carleton University Custom Edition (Oxford University Press, 2016 & 2011); ISBN: 9780199015658.

Both of these texts are available at the Carleton University Bookstore. You may be able to purchase
second hand copies at (very) reduced pricesf the texts at Haven Books (43 Seneca Street, Ottawa (tel.
613-730-9888) or at the Carleton Bookstore. Please be sure you are purchasing the correct books -
checking the ISBN number is the best way to be certain.

Copies of the Course Reader and the Ruddell-Pavlich text have also been placed on reserve at the
MacOdrum Library, and are available for 2-hour periods on a first come, first served, basis.

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EVALUATION

There are four formal evaluation components in this course: two assignments, attendance and
participation in discussion groups, and a single multiple choice examination held in the regular
examination period in December 2019; assignments must be completed and submitted electronically to
the appropriate Teaching Assistant via CULearn by 4:30 p.m. on the due date. Papers submitted in any
other fashion will not be accepted; late papers will not be accepted save in the case of a documented
medical excuse or similarly serious and unforeseen circumstance. Details of the late submission policy
are outlined below.

 Assignment 1 (20%), due October 12, 2018 by 4:30 p.m. (full details of the assignment will be
posted on CULearn).

 Assignment 2 (20%), due November 23, by 4:30 p.m. (full details of the assignment will be
posted on CULearn).

 Final Examination (35%), multiple choice format covering all topics/materials covered during
the Fall Term, written during the formal examination period.

 Discussion Group attendance and participation (25%), students will be expected to attend
and participate in weekly discussion groups.

o Discussion groups for students in 1001T are run as chat sessions and accessed
through the CULearn Page; depending on enrolment, students will be divided into
groups alphabetically by last name and assigned to a group and TA. Days and times for
the groups will be determined and posted in the first week of classes.

o Students who are unable to attend their assigned discussion groups should locate a
group that fits with their schedule and contact the TA of the preferred group by email to
request to join their group; the TA of the original group assignment should be copied on
that email. The student may switch groups if both TAs approve the change.

o Discussion groups for students in 1001A are in-class and on the day and time of the
group selected at the time of enrolment.

o All TAs will be assigned to groups in the first week of term and assignments will be
posted on CULearn.

o Discussion groups start in the second week of classes.

Failure to complete all assignments and exams in the course will result in the student receiving
a failing grade for the course. Deferrals will not be granted unless all other course requirements
have been met.

Late Submission Policy: Deadlines for submission of assignments are set prior to the start of term and
clearly communicated in class and in this course outline. As such, it is assumed students will organize
their time to ensure compliance with the deadlines. Students seeking an extension on a deadline should
be aware of the following:

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 Students encountering unforeseen and unforeseeable difficulties meeting a deadline should

communicate their request for an extension to their Teaching Assistant via email and within 24
hours or as soon as possible of becoming aware of the need for an extension.

 Teaching Assistants have the authority to grant or deny the extension and to determine
appropriate penalties in consultation with the professor and, where appropriate, the student.
Students who are unhappy with the TA’s determination on a request for an extension or the
penalties applied may appeal in writing to the professor within 2-3 days of receiving the TA’s
response to their request for an extension.

 The penalty for late papers is two marks for each day elapsing between the due date and
the submission of an assignment (including weekend days), subject to the discretion of the
TA and/or the professor.

 As a general rule, extensions will be granted only in extreme circumstances, such as

unforeseen illness, accidents leading to injuries, or the death of a family member or close
associate; in all cases the extension must be supported by appropriate, official documentation
such as a medical note (which must indicate the course name and number, the precise dates
covered by the document, as well as the specific accommodation requested), police or medical
records confirming the accident and/or the injury, and death certificates, respectively.

 Extensions which are not supported with relevant documentation will not, as a rule, be granted.

 Computer failure, conflicts with work schedule or similar problems do not constitute valid
excuses for accommodations of course requirements, deadlines or examination schedules.

 Students are reminded that all course requirements must be met in order to pass the course;
thus where an assignment is submitted so late that a grade of ‘0’ is inevitable, the assignment
must be submitted or the student will be unable to pass the course.

Grade Appeals: Students who have questions about the grade they receive on an assignment or
who wish to challenge the grade must contact their TA via email to request a review/appeal of
their grade within one week of the posting of the disputed mark on CULearn. Requests for grade
reviews must be in writing and must clearly outline the grounds upon which the student is seeking the
review. Appeals submitted in any other fashion will not be accepted or considered.
 Consideration of requests for reviews/appeals that fall outside the one week timeline are solely
at the discretion of the TA.
 Students who are not satisfied with the outcome of a grade review/appeal, or who are
denied a review/appeal, may appeal that outcome or denial to the Instructor within one
week of receiving the TA’s determination or denial of their review/appeal. The instructor will
not generally entertain reviews/appeals of grades outside this timeline, nor consider any grade
review/appeal that has not first been discussed with the T.A.

Carleton University assumes all students will conform to the University’s Academic Integrity
Policy. Please be mindful of that policy, especially as regards plagiarism.

Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the
Department and of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by the instructor may be
subject to revision. No grades are final until they have been approved by the Department and the Dean.
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A FEW ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES AND SUGGESTIONS:

 Try to stay on top of the reading assignments in this course. As with most first year survey
courses, there is a great deal of reading, and it can pile up very quickly and become
overwhelming. Organize your time by spending as much time preparing for class as you spend
in class – for example, you have three hours of lecture and discussion group weekly; you should
be spending at least that amount of time preparing for class, and allocate more time when
assignment deadlines or exams are looming.

 Attend discussion groups. Students who attend discussion groups regularly and participate
fully and effectively in group debates and discussions consistently do better in the course than
those who do not attend, or who attend but do not engage with the group. Your TAs are here to
assist you to succeed.

 Students having difficulty with writing assignments should engage with the many
resources available on campus to help students succeed. These include The Writing
Tutorial Service (Library 4th Floor); Student Academic Success Centre (302 Tory) and The
Learning Commons (Library 4th Floor).

 If you are having trouble understanding the material in the course, speak to your T.A. or the
instructor sooner rather than later. We are here to help you learn.

Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Department
and of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by the instructor may be subject to revision.
No grades are final until they have been approved by the Department and the Dean.

CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNED READINGS:

Week: Lecture Topic and Reading Assignment:

Law in Context
1 Course Introduction
Readings: Course Outline

Law in Social Life

2 Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 1(a)-(c); Ruddell & Pavlich, Realizing
Sociological Jurisprudence, pp.154-168

3 Cultural Context
Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 2(a)-(d)

4 The Constitutional Context

Readings: Law, the State and the Constitution: Foundations and Rights Protection,3(a) –(e)

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Looking at Law:Different Lens for Law and Legal Studies

5 Law, Morality and Justice
Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection,5(a)-(f); Ruddell & Pavlich, Natural Law:
Morality and Law, pp.126-138

6 Law’s Liberalism and its Critics

Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 6(a)-(c)

ASSIGNMENT ONE DUE – OCTOBER 11

7 Thanksgiving Day – University Closed, No Classes
8 Fall Break/Reading Week – University Closed, Classes Suspended
9 Connecting Law and Society
Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 7(a)-(c); Ruddell & Pavlich, Positing Law,
139-153

Making Law: Judicial Decisions and Legislation

10 Judicial Decisions and the Common Law
Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, (a)-(b)

11 Interpreting Legislation
Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 9(a)-(d)

ASSIGNMENT TWO DUE – NOVEMEBER 15

Law, the State and Citizens
12 Citizenship: Who Belongs? Who is Protected?
Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 10(a)-(e)

13 Protecting Rights: Inside and Outside the Constitution

Readings: Foundations and Rights Protection, 11(a) –(d)

__________________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS

The instructor recognizes that students may on occasion require accommodations to meet course
requirements. In this course, requests for course accommodations must be made to the instructor by
email within the first two weeks of the term, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is
known to exist. Email requests must be clear about the accommodation sought and must contain
relevant documentation supporting the request. Please note that the determination of requests for
accommodation are at the discretion of the instructor, subject to formal university policies regarding
accommodations. Barring exceptional circumstances (i.e., an unanticipated or unforeseeable accident
or injury), requests for accommodations that are not submitted in a timely manner will not be
considered. Please consult the Equity Services website to view the policies and to obtain more detailed
information on academic accommodation:

https://carleton.ca/equity/accommodation/academic/students/

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting, whether intentional or not, the ideas, expression of ideas or work of others
as one's own. Plagiarism includes reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else's published
or unpublished material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one's own without
proper citation or reference to the original source. Examples of sources from which the ideas,
expressions of ideas or works of others may be drawn from include but are not limited to: books,
articles, papers, literary compositions and phrases, performance compositions, chemical compounds,
art works, laboratory reports, research results, calculations and the results of calculations, diagrams,
constructions, computer reports, computer code/software, and material on the Internet. Plagiarism is a
serious offence.
More information on the University’s Academic Integrity Policy can be found at:

https://carleton.ca/registrar/academic-integrity/

Department Policy
The Department of Law and Legal Studies operates in association with certain policies and procedures.
Please review these documents to ensure that your practices meet our Department’s expectations.
http://carleton.ca/law/current-students/