JUR201 | Jurisprudence I

The course on Jurisprudence aims to introduce students to legal philosophy and ways in which the discipline of law has been imagined. At NLSIU, it is a core course, mandated by the BCI Rules of Legal Education, 2008. The course on Legal Methods may be thought a thematic predecessor to some of the ideas in Jurisprudence. However, in terms of depth or nuance with which legal philosophy is discussed, this course may be considered standalone. 

We have approached the course with the core idea that legal philosophy has profound implications on the everyday practice of law. We strive to show students how schools of thought in jurisprudence have a relation to interpretative tools, for instance. We also deal with specific themes which I believe, bring to the fore, contested conceptions of law, rights, and justice. We also analyse movements within legal thought and their implications on policy. We believe that this perspective has profound implications on how we view legal philosophy.

We exclude from this course that ambit of jurisprudence prevalent in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, which is more focused on uncovering core meanings of legal concepts. Some of these  concepts are covered in other courses at NLSIU (Eg. mens rea in Criminal Law-I).

The readings for the course include academic writing, which includes writings on legal philosophy as well as on themes to be discussed in class, and relevant Indian case law. 

The instruction method is designed to expect students having done the readings in advance of class. We expect students to engage with the conceptual aspect of the discussion and for our role to be to clarify that if needed, and to lead the discussion to an application of the concept to practical legal issues. These may be case discussions, or problems posed in class.

The course starts with a primer on legal thought leading up to the twentieth century, and tries to uncover where legal philosophy fits into the development of law as as a set of historical and social facts. Then the course enters thematic discussion on the nature of the law, primarily, its interaction with morality, rights, and justice. Thereafter, the course explores legal movements shaping different ideas of law.