Finding primary and secondary materials using electronic and hard copy resources; statutory interpretation; judicial precedent; referencing.

The assessment will require the students to use their research skills to find a reported case and relevant journal article. Students will produce an appropriately referenced summary and analysis of the case and journal article (LOs 1, 2, 3 and 4; week 14).

The delivery of the module will be via weekly lectures and weekly workshops. Together these will compose 39 hours of direct contact with the tutor. Students will also be expected to engage in 161 hours of guided independent study.

Lectures will be designed to provide a focus and context for students. While they will be predominantly tutor led, they will also be in part interactive, with topics being explored by means of questions and answers. Attendance at lectures is compulsory and students will be expected to undertake any specified preparation beforehand. Where appropriate, a handout will be distributed at the start of the lecture will guide the student through the issues discussed in the lecture.

The workshops will enable students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the topics introduced in the lectures. As with the lectures, attendance is compulsory and preparation beforehand essential. Preparation will take the form of directed reading and independent research thus allowing the student the ability to take increasing responsibility and ownership of their own learning. Students will be expected to communicate complex legal issues effectively. In this way, students will further develop their inter-personal skills, legal research skills, legal reasoning skills, problem solving and critical analysis skills.

The module handbook and/or the VLE will specify or contain the materials to be read prior to attending classes.

PDP activities will be embedded in this module in the form of dedicated sessions relating to core skills for studying law and progressing to the legal professions, with an emphasis on developing ethical attitudes and complying with agreed standards of behaviour:

Academic integrity
Summarising and paraphrasing
Referencing according to OSCOLA conventions.

1. Locate and select relevant primary and secondary materials by effectively employing print and digital resources.

Enquiry

2. Identify, explain, interpret and apply principles of statutory interpretation and the operation of the doctrine of judicial precedent.

Knowledge and Understanding
Application
Analysis

3. Analyse and evaluate secondary sources of legal commentary

Analysis, Enquiry

4. Communicate effectively employing a style appropriate for legal academic writing including the accurate use of the OSCOLA referencing conventions.

Communication

In addition to the above texts, students will have access to a number of resources via the Library, including:

Databases

Students will have access to LexisNexis and Westlaw

Journals

The Library also has access to a variety of relevant journal titles

Embley J and others, Legal Systems & Skills: Learn, Develop, Apply (4th edn, OUP 2020)
Finch E and Fafinski S, Legal Skills (7th edn, OUP 2019)
Gillespie A and Weare S, The English Legal System (7th edn, OUP 2019)
Holland J and Webb J, Learning Legal Rules: A Students' Guide to Legal Method and Reasoning (10th edn, OUP 2019)
Partington M, Introduction to the English Legal System 2019-2020 (14th edn, OUP 2019)
Wilson S and others, English Legal System (4th edn, OUP 2020)