LL4CL Half Unit
Explaining Punishment: Philosophy, Political Economy, Sociology
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Prof Peter Ramsay
Availability
This course is available on the LLM (extended part-time), LLM (full-time), MSc in Law and Finance and University of Pennsylvania Law School LLM Visiting Students. This course is freely available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. It does not require permission. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: Priority will be given initially to LLM, MSc Regulation and MSc Law and Finance students on a first-come-first-served allocation.
Spaces permitting, requests from all other students will be processed on the same first-come-first-served allocation from 10am on Thursday 2 October 2025
By submitting an application, students are confirming that they meet any pre-requisites specified. Providing an additional written statement will not aid a student's chances of being accepted onto a course, and statements are not read.
Deadline for application: Not applicable
For queries contact: Law.llm@lse.ac.uk
This course has a limited number of places and demand is typically high. This may mean that you’re not able to get a place on this course.
Course content
The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the theories that purport to explain and/or to justify the practice of punishment, a practice that is central to the criminal law. It will do this by introducing students to philosophical, sociological, political economy and comparative approaches to punishment. It will involve the discussion of all the major philosophical justifications and critiques of state punishment, and sociological and political economy explanations and critiques of punishment.
Three seminars will discuss the classical philosophical justifications of punishment. The fourth investigates the practice of restorative justice. Seminars 5 and 6 will discuss punishment from the perspective of sociology and political economy. Seminar 7 will consider comparative approaches to punishment. Seminars 8 and 9 will look at two key aspects of the sociology of punishment, punishment as a cultural phenomenon and punishment as an exercise of power and authority. The final seminar considers penal abolitionism.
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.
Formative assessment
Students will be expected to produce one essay in Autumn Term and give one brief presentation in class during the term.
Indicative reading
• A von Hirsch, A Ashworth and J Roberts, Principled Sentencing: Readings on Theory and Policy (Hart, 2009)
• B Hudson, Understanding Justice (Open University Press 2003)
• N Lacey, The Prisoners’ Dilemma: Political Economy and Punishment in Contemporary Democracies, (Cambridge University Press 2008)
• J Simon and R Sparks (eds), The Sage Handbook of Punishment and Society (Sage 2013)
• D Garland, Punishment and Modern Society: A Study in Social Theory (Oxford University Press 1990)
Assessment
Exam (100%), duration: 150 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Key facts
Department: LSE Law School
Course Study Period: Autumn Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 22
Average class size 2024/25: 22
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
For this course, please see the following link/s:
LL4CL Explaining Punishment: Philosophy, Political Economy, Sociology Course Guide Video https://youtu.be/0nVS88JDTAI
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Specialist skills