Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46
Storytelling is firmly embedded within the law. Advocates use narrative techniques to present their clients’ stories and to evoke responses from audiences. Histories of our laws and legal institutions are taught to us from an early age. But who has the power to decide which stories get told? Which stories are ignored, forgotten, or marginalised?
The aim of the course is to critically examine the use of legal storytelling in scholarship and practice. Through close readings of texts and other media, it will encourage students to reflect on how legal stories are created and challenged.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session | Second Sub Session | Credit Points | 25 credits (12.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
The aim of the course is to critically examine the use of legal storytelling in scholarship and practice. It adopts a socio-legal approach that encourages students to reflect on how narratives of the law are created, reproduced, and challenged by alternative stories. It will involve close readings of texts and other media. In particular, it will focus on the use storytelling techniques by ‘outgroups’ as a way of challenging the dominant narratives within law.
The course will also provide a forum for applied legal storytelling, through reflective writing on seminar reading and the use of storytelling techniques in an assessed essay. Students will have the opportunity to develop these skills throughout the course and receive ongoing formative feedback.
The course schedule will include one introductory information session, followed by six substantive seminars. The seminar topics will vary from year to year, but, as an indicative list, could include the following:
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Individual feedback and a mark based on the CGS will be provided electronically. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To critically evaluate the use of storytelling techniques by legal scholars and practitioners |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To appraise multiple or competing narratives in legal scholarship, judicial opinions, and other course reading |
| Procedural | Understand | To locate relevant sources of information through independent legal research |
| Reflection | Apply | To apply legal storytelling techniques in written assessments |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Reflective Seminar Reading Journal. Students will keep a live, reflective journal of their seminar reading throughout the course. Students will be asked to make a minimum number of posts to a class discussion board (using the discussion board feature in MyAberdeen or a similar tool) and to contribute to other students’ posts. Ongoing feedback will be provided during the course (via the online discussion board). Individual summative feedback and a mark will be provided upon submission of the completed reading journal. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To critically evaluate the use of storytelling techniques by legal scholars and practitioners |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To appraise multiple or competing narratives in legal scholarship, judicial opinions, and other course reading |
| Reflection | Apply | To apply legal storytelling techniques in written assessments |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will submit a 750-word project proposal prior to the final assessment. The aim of the proposal is for students to identify their topics early in the course and to receive feedback that can be reflected on and incorporated into the final essay. The goal is for the project proposal to be submitted in good time for the course team to provide feedback before the spring holidays, so that students are able to use this feedback for the final assessment. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To critically evaluate the use of storytelling techniques by legal scholars and practitioners |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To appraise multiple or competing narratives in legal scholarship, judicial opinions, and other course reading |
| Procedural | Understand | To locate relevant sources of information through independent legal research |
| Reflection | Apply | To apply legal storytelling techniques in written assessments |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To critically evaluate the use of storytelling techniques by legal scholars and practitioners |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To appraise multiple or competing narratives in legal scholarship, judicial opinions, and other course reading |
| Reflection | Apply | To apply legal storytelling techniques in written assessments |
| Procedural | Understand | To locate relevant sources of information through independent legal research |
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