From natural law to justifying punishment, and from Marxism to feminism, Duncan Spiers explains the main ideas of jurisprudence in the order that law students usually encounter them on their courses. By extracting the main arguments that lie at the heart of the different positions, he makes the central themes and implications clear.

Law students traditionally find the methods of jurisprudence - which range across philosophical and sociological approaches to law - more difficult than 'black-letter' law subjects. With few cases, confusing questions and no correct answers, it can be difficult to draw a balanced view. Now, Duncan Spiers explains the main ideas of jurisprudence in the order that law students usually encounter them on their courses. By extracting the main arguments that lie at the heart of the different positions, he makes it clear what the strong central themes and implications are. From natural law to justifying punishment, and from Marxism to feminism, students will gain a firm grasp of theories behind jurisprudence. End-of-chapter summaries clearly define the essential concepts covered to help you to understand the different ideas and intellectual positions.