Legal Studies
​Students complete CAD, Music Appreciation, Self Defense and Legal Studies . 

Aims & Objectives

Legal Studies is a 7 week, Transition Year module which aims at introducing basic legal concepts through the examination of case studies. It is also necessary to examine the three principal types of legal practice globally, as a foundation for the legal concepts and cases that follow.

Objectives:
 - Students will understand the western symbol of justice and the reasoning behind the sword, blindfold and weighing scales.
- Students will understand the importance of impartiality in law.
- Students will understand the concepts behind a jury of peers and a judges wig.
- Students will be able to isolate the facts of a case from emotive issues and judge the  merits of both sides of an argument accordingly.
- Students will, through various case studies, have a clear understanding of how law and legal judgements can subsequently affect society as a whole.
- Students will, through various case studies, be able to identify key language and phrases that indicate the outcome of various legal judgements.

Week 1:    Introduction
- Analysis of the western symbol of law and the ideals therein.
- Identification and discussion of various aspects of Irish law influenced by Catholicism and aspects of Islamic law.
- Examine the structure of the Irish courts system.
- Notes will be handed out.


Week 2 & 3:    Family Law         
-Case Study: Kramer V's Kramer
- Analysis of the characters and actions of Ted and Joanna.
- Group identification of who is to blame.
- Feedback will discuss reasons behind student’s decisions.


Week 4:    Japanese Internment in World War II
- Analysis of F.D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order and the logic behind it. Brainstorm on whiteboard.
-  Youtube clips of people talking of their own experiences during the war.
- Class will read the case study and notes will be given out.
- In groups, students will analyse the opinions of the Supreme Court judges and the logic behind their decision.

Week 5:    Students being searched for banned substances in schools
- Brief discussion of whether students should be searched or not.
- Read through case study.
- Read and summarise briefly the logic of the Supreme Court judges.
- Students read and answer questions for other searches.

Week 6:    Homeless man jailed for burglary and the right to free legal aid
- Brainstorm why in is necessary to have a lawyer to defend you.
- Brainstorm why the taxpayer should pay for a criminals lawyer..
- In groups, analyse the logic of the US Supreme Courts decision.

Week 7:    The Guildford Four
- Brainstorm IRA tactics during the Troubles.
- Read through the events of the Guildford pub bombing and the police response.
- Analysis of the evidence used by the police to secure conviction 
- Read through the difficulty in getting an appeal heard and particular attention to the exonerating evidence.

Assessment:

Students will summarise the key issues of a legal case from the selection above and identify what aspects of it and the courts decision in relation to it that caused such controversy