Admission requirements
Students who want to take this course need to be admitted to the master's programme Law and Society: Governance & Global Development.
Description
This intensive 5-week course examines the complex relationships between law, politics, and society, with a particular focus on the field of criminal justice. Rather than viewing law as a static set of rules, we explore how legal norms and institutions are shaped by political struggles, cultural values, and broader societal transformations. Adopting a comparative perspective, we investigate how political ideologies, social structures, and historical contexts influence the development, interpretation, and enforcement of criminal law across different jurisdictions.
Throughout the course, we will study a range of case studies illustrating how law both reflects and transforms societal values. For instance, the "War on Drugs" in the United States reveals the profound social consequences of politically driven legal strategies, while South Africa’s post-apartheid legal reforms highlight the possibilities and limitations of law as a tool for social change. The response to the 2012 Delhi gang rape case in India demonstrates how public outrage can drive legal reform, particularly regarding gender justice. Sweden’s emphasis on rehabilitation over punishment challenges dominant punitive models of criminal justice. Brazil’s struggles with police violence and corruption further underscore the tensions between formal legal ideals and everyday practices within deeply unequal societies.
This course is designed for Master students seeking to critically understand the role of law within society, and the dynamic interplay between legal institutions, political processes, and social movements. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to analyze legal change not merely as a top-down process but as a complex and often contested phenomenon rooted in societal contexts.
Course objectives
Upon completing this course, students will be able to:
Analyze Law as a Social Institution: Develop a critical understanding of the role of criminal law within broader societal structures, informed by key theories from law and society scholarship.
Understand the Dynamics of Legal Change: Examine how political processes, interest groups, and social movements drive the creation, modification, and implementation of criminal laws.
Apply Critical Policy Analysis Tools: Use frameworks such as the "What’s the Problem Represented to Be?" (WPR) approach to critically assess how legal and policy discourses construct social problems and shape policy outcomes.
Conduct Comparative Analyses of Legal Systems: Analyze how different cultural, political, and historical contexts influence the functioning of criminal justice institutions globally.
Examine the Role of Power in Law Enforcement: Investigate how political and social power relations shape the practices and priorities of law enforcement bodies.
Assess the Impact of Social Movements on Law: Evaluate how grassroots activism and public mobilization challenge existing legal norms and contribute to legal and societal transformation.
Timetable
Check MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
The course consists of 5 two-hour interactive lectures and 5 mandatory two-hour discussion seminars.
Both lectures and seminars will be taught by Prof. Dr. Mr. Maartje van der Woude, Professor of Law & Society at Leiden Law School.
Preparation for Lectures:
Before each lecture, you are expected to thoroughly review the assigned materials. The lectures will not simply summarize the readings; rather, the preparatory materials are intended as a point of departure for deeper discussion and critical engagement. During lectures, active participation is expected: you will be asked questions, encouraged to share your opinions, and challenged to reflect critically on the topics at hand.
Seminars:
Attendance at all seminars is mandatory. The seminars are structured to foster in-depth discussion and collaborative analysis based on the lecture topics and readings. Students are expected to come prepared to discuss the materials, actively contribute to group debates, and occasionally present brief reflections or arguments based on the week's themes.
Other methods of instruction
- Weekly online office chat hours during which the students can talk to the seminar lecturer about the assignments, the reading materials or any other issues regarding the course
Assessment method
The final grade for this course will be composed of the following components:
The final grade for this course will be based on the following components:
Participation (20%)
Active participation in lectures and seminars is required.
Students are expected to come prepared, contribute thoughtfully to discussions, engage critically with the material, and interact respectfully with peers and the instructor.
Two Blog-Style Reflection Papers (30%)
Students will submit two short blog-style reflections of 500–700 words each.
The reflections should critically engage with the readings and lecture discussions.
Posts should be written in an accessible style suitable for a broader, informed audience, while demonstrating critical thinking, clarity, and originality.
Reflection deadlines: Week 2 and Week 4.
Final Analytical Paper (50%)
Students will write a final academic paper of approximately 3,000 words.
The paper should address a topic related to the course themes, applying comparative analysis and/or critical theoretical approaches discussed in class.
It must demonstrate original thinking, theoretical engagement, and critical analysis of the relationship between law, politics, and society.
Additional Requirements:
All components should be at least 5,5 in order to complete the course successfully. If this is not the case, the lowest partial grade will be registered as final grade
Attendance at a minimum of four out of five seminars is mandatory to pass the course, unless justified with valid documentation.
Late submissions will incur a grade penalty unless prior approval for an extension has been obtained.
The final paper is due two weeks after the last seminar.
Areas to be tested within the exam
The examination syllabus consists of the required reading (literature) for the course, the course information guide and the subjects taught in the lectures, the seminars and all other instructions which are part of the course.
Regulation retake passed exams
In this course it is possible to retake an exam that has been passed (cf. art. 4.1.8 and further of the Course and Examination Regulations). Students who have passed the exam may retake the final written assessment (test) of the course if they meet certain requirements. For more information, go to the website > ‘Law’ tab > ‘Retake a passed exam’.
Reading list
A combination of international peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, the titles of which will be distributed in due time via Brightspace, students will have to look up the articles themselves.
Registration
Registration for courses and exams takes place via MyStudymap. If you do not have access to MyStudymap (guest students), look here (under the Law-tab) for more information on the registration procedure in your situation.
Contact
Coordinator: Prof. dr. mr. M.A.H. van der Woude
Work address: Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance & Society
Email: m.a.h.vanderwoude@law.leidenuniv.nl
Institution/division
Institute: Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of the Law
Department: Van Vollenhoven Institute
Room number secretary: B1.14
Opening hours: Monday till Thursday and Friday morning
Telephone number secretary: +31 (0)71 527 7260
Email: vollenhoven@law.leidenuniv.nl