Law in Our Lives: An Introduction - Hardcover

Friedrichs, David O.

3.45

11 ratings by Goodreads

9781891487415: Law in Our Lives: An Introduction

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1891487418 ISBN 13: 9781891487415

Publisher: Roxbury Pub Co, 2001

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Intended to provide students with a fundamental literacy about law as a presence in our social existence, rather than "black letter" law, Friedrichs' (sociology, criminal justice, U. of Scranton, PA) text is written in accessible language with attention to issues and controversies that will enliven discussion in the undergraduate classroom. The topics considered include the celebration of law and the critique of law; contemporary legal issues confronting society; the definition and meaning of law, the different dimensions or models of law, and the nature of legal reasoning; and law in relation to justice, to morality, to religion, and to interests. Key terms and discussion questions conclude each chapter; a list of web sites is provided. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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About the Author:

David O. Friedrichs is Professor of Sociology/Criminal Justice at the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania). He is the author of Trusted Criminals: White Collar Crime in Contemporary Society (1996), and Editor of State Crime, Volumes I and II (1998). He has published some 75 journal articles, book chapters, and essays on such topics as the legitimation of legal order, legal studies, critical criminology, violence, narrative jurisprudence, postmodernism, white-collar crime, and state crime. He served as Editor of the Legal Studies Forum between 1985 and 1989.

Review:

"Law in Our Lives has four special strengths. First and most important, it treats law as a complex, multidimensional subject. Second, this book is interdisciplinary at every turn, explicating legal phenomena in historical, political, cross-national, and sociological perspectives. Third, the text offers a good balance between legal theory (jurisprudence) and the 'law in action,' thereby suggesting both why and where law matters. Finally, the book offers a timely discussion of many topical issues for which the law does (or will) matter."--From the Foreword by John Paul Ryan, Former Director, American Bar Association Commission on College & University Legal Studies

"Friedrichs does an excellent job of defining or describing concepts, giving a visual representation of those concepts, and then giving real world examples of how concepts might be applied. [Friedrichs] is clearly an expert in the socio-legal approach, and this text is clearly a welcome addition to the subfield of Law and Society."--Linda Maule, Law and Politics Book Review

Praise from the previous edition

"This book represents an extraordinary mastery of the material. It is a first-rate piece of scholarship that is likely to make a major contribution to defining the law and society field in the 21st century. The author is extremely thorough in presenting every major theme within the discipline."--Matthew Silberman, Bucknell University

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