Legal Studies

Athabasca University's Legal Studies courses provide students with the opportunity to understand how laws are passed and enforced, the nature of our legal rights and the limits which can be legitimately placed upon those rights. Through an appreciation of the nature of the legal system, we come to recognize the legal limitations on our dealings with other people and how laws, bylaws and regulations affect how we carry on business and lead our daily lives. By critically analysing the law we also see where the law is not black and white and we recognize how the law can protect our interests and why it can sometimes fail to do so. When we challenge society's understandings of the law we also gain insight into whether the law is merely: a structure which holds together an orderly society; a method for controlling "inappropriate" or "unpopular" behaviour; a possible tool to promote justice and social change; or, perhaps, a combination of all three.

No matter what your career or occupation, no matter what your program of study, you may benefit from a critical understanding of the substance of our laws and the procedures by which they are enforced. Many students at Athabasca University take the Legal Studies courses as: requirements or electives for other degrees at Athabasca University; as transfer credits to be applied towards a degree at another University; or purely from a personal desire to acquire a deeper awareness of topics and issues that affect us so pervasively. In addition to this expanded knowledge of law and the legal system, students will develop their analytical, critical writing and research skills in ways that will be beneficial to them in their future studies, employment and daily lives.

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Student & Academic Services - Last Updated March 07, 2012