Venue: YPHSL CR 1.02

Day/time: Wednesdays, 1530H to 1845H

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A fundamental function of the law is to regulate different facets of our conduct and behaviour. Naturally, the process of regulation must start off with an understanding of what is to be regulated. It is therefore not surprising that psychology – the study of human behaviour – provides a wealth of insights to practitioners, institutions, and policy makers that make up the legal fraternity.

 

Law and Psychology provides, for law students, an introductory glimpse into the intersection between the two disciplines. This course takes a topical approach: each week, we explore a different area of the law and psychology’s relevance to it. Some of the questions we will ask, and find answers to, include:

 

• What are the symptoms and causes of common mental disorders? How are they diagnosed? How do these disorders, their symptoms, and the way they are treated affect the criminal justice process?

• Are persons with intellectual disabilities more prone to criminal behaviour? Should they be dealt with differently under the law? What are some ways in which they may be disadvantaged under conventional criminal procedure?

• What difficulties do our courts face in the sentencing of mentally-disordered offenders? What are the competing tensions at play? How does psychology and psychiatry assist the courts in resolving these tensions?

• How does the reasonable man (in tort law) determine what is reasonable? What psychological factors influence how decision makers (like judges) arrive at what they deem to be just and reasonable compensation sums for plaintiffs in tort actions?

• Is eyewitness evidence always accurate? How do we remember, and how do we forget? Where are our memories stored? Can they be manipulated? Can we create false memories for events that never happened?

• What psychological hacks are there that can help me become a more effective negotiator, advocate, and lawyer?

 

If you are looking for a course that deals strictly and solely with legal analysis; this might not be for you. But if you would like to broaden your horizons; understand how we (as human beings) think, reason, and behave; and appreciate how the law operates in the context of another discipline, you are more than welcome to hop on for the ride!