This option provides students with an opportunity to study the principles which underlie and structure the institutions and practices of law, beyond specific legal subjects like contract, crime or constitution. It does so by beginning from the key principles embedded in law or in relation to which law defines its operations, such as ideas of the legal personality, the role of interpretation in making meaning from legal texts, the question of justice and its relation to law, matters of sovereignty and disciplinarity, force and violence, ethics and rights, the state, community and technology. It also encompasses representations of law and the legal, such as law and culture, literature, cinema, theatre where such instances can help develop a deeper understanding of law’s activities. The approach is grounded in critical legal theory rather than traditional jurisprudence, but there is a fruitful dialogue between the perspectives. This content is developed with the students by whole group lectures and readings to familiarise the students with the wide range of understandings of legal principles with which we are confronted, and then the knowledge and understanding gained is applied and used to find ways of situating and contextualising current legal concerns, in a way which promotes dialogue between the underlying principles and the empirical manifestations of the law in the large group sessions.

The learning strategy for this module is based around students committing a total of 300 hours of activities towards achieving the learning outcomes. These will be split between 72 hours of direct contact with a tutor and 228 hours of directed, guided and self-study, together with preparation for and completion of the assessment tasks.

Contact will include a mixture of small and larger group activities, much of it based on the principles of practice and problem based learning. Learning will be organised into a series of sessions where students will be required to participate. Each session will be based around a problem or issue, and students will work towards a range of solutions by specifying objectives, identifying constraints, obtaining background information, applying related theory and knowledge based around the subject matter.

Large group sessions seek to establish an overview framework within which selected theories and rules of the subject matter can be more effectively developed. They will verify and consolidate knowledge and understanding and will engage in more detailed exposition of selected theories, rules and constraints.

The guided learning will incorporate a mixture of activities, some of which will require group work and electronic interaction. The learning will be facilitated by use of the VLE platform and discussions/interactions between students and tutors.

Students will be expected to be familiar with contemporary discussions in this area of law, and to bring a range of ideas to bear on the discussions. Thus, although there will be a framework of knowledge and understanding, students will be actively, rather than passively, engaged in the process of both learning about, and increasing understanding of, the subject matter.

The module will use a blend of teaching methods to enable different styles of learning to be facilitated. The differing methods will also be a platform for the development of essential skills such as intellectual skills, communication skills and problem solving, as well as research, teamwork, negotiation, presentation, referencing, argument, judgement and appropriate use of IT.

Working towards the assessment tasks will be a key element of the learning, and tutors will be available to guide students through the process, and to improve their ability to meet the learning outcomes to a high standard. It is expected that around 100 hours of the module will be devoted to the assessment tasks - much of it during the self-directed periods in relation to the extended writing assessment.

Assessment will be an integral part of the module. There will be two assessment points and workshops focused on assessment activities will be scheduled into the timetable. Earlier tasks will be shorter and more succinct, enabling fast feedback from the tutors so that students can learn and improve for later assessment tasks. Formative feedback will be provided wherever possible.

Assessment is comprised of:

1. Short research project (3,500 words) on an area relating to critical legal theory and current legal concerns (70%)- assessing learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3.

2. Reflective Log (1500 words) - relating to work-related experience (30%) -assessing learning outcome 4.

Assessment will be built into workshop sessions and students will receive supervision sessions for extended writing and reflection.

Practical Law Online, Westlaw, Lexis-Nexis and VLE
Course materials

Gearey, A., Morrison, W., & Jago, R. The Politics of the Common Law: Perspectives, Rights, Processes, Institutions (2nd Edition Routledge Cavendish, 2013)

1. Demonstrate an ability to conduct independent research including the use of and evaluation of, appropriate online resources.
Learning
Enquiry
Reflection

2. Demonstrate an ability to critically examine an appropriate area of critical legal theory efficiently and effectively in writing.
Knowledge and Understanding
Communication

3. Communicate an understanding of the application of legal principles and theory in the context of current legal concerns.
Reflection Communication
Problem Solving

4. Effectively communicate skills and abilities to peers and employers through the contextualisation of experiences in work-related situations.
Application
Knowledge and Understanding
Reflection