General Intro to Legal Studies

General Introduction to Legal Studies (GILS) seeks to act as a critical introduction for students to their
legal studies, covering topics that include the nature and purpose of law, sources of law, court structures,
common law and precedent, statutory interpretation, law and democracy, the legal professions and the judiciary,
access to justice, law as a decision making system and alternatives to judicial decision making. The course
also examines issues in relation to the interaction of law in and with society and the purpose of legal
education. The aims of this module are: (a) To provide students with a core understanding of the rules and
principles that underpin the Irish legal system (b) To outline how, in particular, the system of law developed
and is developing; (c) To appreciate the hierarchy of legal sources and to analyse forms and types of legal
rules; (d) Law as one, but not the only (and not necessarily the best), form of decision making/dispute
resolution (e) The role of law in/with society; (f) The role of legal education. The module will also include
a specific skills component in which students will become familiarised with fundamental legal skills,
including the use of research sources, the interpretation of judicial decisions and the communication of
legal ideas.