Feminist Jurisprudence: looking at law through a societal lens
Oxford’s undergraduate Law course (known as the BA in Jurisprudence) gives students a rigorous grounding in the core subjects of legal study – from criminal, constitutional and contract law to tort, trusts and land law. But the course also makes space for students to step back from rules and cases to ask broader questions about law’s place in society.
One such opportunity is the second-year Feminist Jurisprudence mini-option, led by Dr Barbara Havelková, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law and a Tutorial Fellow at St Hilda’s College.
“Feminist Jurisprudence gives students the chance to create a small intellectual community around questions that many of them may already be interested in individually but have not necessarily had the chance to explore together,” says Dr Havelková. “It’s also one of the first opportunities in the Law course to step away from the formal rules and doctrines of law and look at the subject from the outside, more critically.”
Offered as part of the compulsory Jurisprudence (or philosophy of law) module, the Feminist Jurisprudence mini-option is taught during the third term of Year 2 and is examined through an essay.
Dr Havelková adds: “What this option offers is a way of thinking about the factors that feed into our laws – including social and cultural factors, and biases – and the effects that law has on marginalised or disadvantaged groups. It gives students space to engage with difficult social and political questions, and to dig considerably deeper into topics such as sex, gender and sexuality, sameness and difference, and prostitution. These are challenging and sometimes contentious issues, but they are also questions that intellectually curious students want to ask.”
Students who wish to continue exploring this topic can go on to study the Feminist Perspectives in Law option in their final year. This option takes a problem-driven approach, exploring how legal systems respond to women’s status and gender relations across private, public, domestic and international contexts. It features teaching from experts in areas including gender and reproduction, equal pay, migration, and intellectual property.
Meet our second-year students
“I chose the Feminist Jurisprudence mini-option because I thought it would be a great opportunity to see the subject from a different angle. One of the first things you realise from reading the research on this topic is how important it is to look at the law from a woman’s point of view, and that there is a shared experience for women that needs to be studied.” – Olivia Wallbank
“This was our first chance to view the subject from a gendered perspective, which I felt would be very useful for my own knowledge and development. Once you’ve been exposed to this perspective, it’s hard to see it in any other way. You learn how the law affects you and people around you in ways you might not have appreciated. It’s a really welcoming and safe space for anyone to learn about and discuss the topic.” – Maddison Black
“I already had an interest in feminism and felt that this option would be an opportunity to focus on an important social issue, which we don’t always get when we’re studying the core legal topics such as tort and trusts. The small group discussions are a great feature of studying here, and obviously you’re learning from leading experts in their fields.” – Nomeda Petrulis
“One of the best things about this option is that we can bring our own experiences from the real world into the discussions. It feels more intersectional than other parts of the course. If you enjoy thinking deeply about things and discussing them with people who may offer a like-minded or a different perspective, then this option and the degree in general are fantastic for that.” – Natalie Cottis
“The Feminist Jurisprudence option has been really enlightening and has made me question my own views and perspectives. Like many others, I saw it as a chance to look at the law through a societal lens. This option and the Jurisprudence course at Oxford are perfect for people who enjoy discussing and analysing a topic in depth, and engaging with it critically.” – Uzumma Enweani