Families and the State: Children and the Law

The aim of this option is to examine a number of the most significant issues affecting the legal regulation of children and their families.

The readings have been selected to integrate deep, theoretical debates with contemporary legal, policy, and empirical developments.  We are particularly concerned to understand the embeddedness and broader impact of the governing law.

Our intention is that, after completing the option, you are empowered and challenged to both critique and reassess the value of theoretical arguments made in this context, as well as reconsider how best to address real world problems.

This option will naturally appeal to students with a particular interest in family law and human rights law.  More generally, it will appeal to students interested in broader debates that affect everyday life:  Do children have rights?  Do parents have rights?  What should we value when deciding who should be seen as ‘parent’ in law – genetics, caring for the child, and so forth?  It will also appeal to students who enjoy blending theoretical and conceptual arguments with the practical messiness of everyday life.  Finally, it will appeal to students who are interested in bringing international sources of law to bear on such problems.

The aim of this option is to examine a number of the most significant issues affecting the legal regulation of children and their families.

The readings have been selected to integrate deep, theoretical debates with contemporary legal, policy, and empirical developments.  We are particularly concerned to understand the embeddedness and broader impact of the governing law.

Our intention is that, after completing the option, you are empowered and challenged to both critique and reassess the value of theoretical arguments made in this context, as well as reconsider how best to address real world problems.

This option will naturally appeal to students with a particular interest in family law and human rights law.  More generally, it will appeal to students interested in broader debates that affect everyday life:  Do children have rights?  Do parents have rights?  What should we value when deciding who should be seen as ‘parent’ in law – genetics, caring for the child, and so forth?  It will also appeal to students who enjoy blending theoretical and conceptual arguments with the practical messiness of everyday life.  Finally, it will appeal to students who are interested in bringing international sources of law to bear on such problems.

This option is not offered in 2024-25