Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3165: Charity Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Legal forms of civil society or non-profit organisations and the significance of charity in the not-for-profit sector; the role of charity trustees; charitable fundraising and appeals; investment of charitable funds; fiscal treatment of charities
The legal meaning and definition of charity; the advantages and disadvantages of a statutory definition; alternative approaches to defining ‘charity’, eg based on notions of altruism or public goods or autonomy
Religion and charity: the historical connection; judicial approaches towards religion; the definition of religion; the meaning of ‘advancement of religion’ and the merits of its inclusion as a charitable purpose
The impact of charities charging fees for their services; the place of poverty in charity
The interface between politics and charity: the meaning of ‘political purposes’ and the rationale for their exclusion from charity; the scope for charities to be involved in political campaigning
Charity and discrimination: the freedom for charities to select beneficiaries according to defined characteristics
Alternative approaches to charity (including in relation to questions concerning religion, politics and fee-charging) in other jurisdictions, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland
Regulation of the charitable sector: the Charity Commission; registration, reporting and auditing requirements; the Charity Tribunal; the doctrine of cy-près

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
56	244	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	32	Lectures (16 x 2 hours)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	16	Seminars (8 x 2 hours)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	8	Drop-in sessions (8 x 1 hour) +
Guided Independent Study	16*	Reading in advance of lectures
Guided Independent Study	80*	Reading and preparation for seminars
Guided Independent Study	16*	Consolidating learning post-seminar
Guided Independent Study	28*	Reading and preparation for case note
Guided Independent Study	18*	Preparation of essay plan
Guided Independent Study	86*	Research, planning and execution of summative essay(s)
+ Drop-in sessions are designed for module-specific queries and discussions. You are welcome to attend with specific queries or to discuss proposed summative topics or completed formatives, or simply to discuss charity-related matters.
* For guided independent study, the hours spent on each task are for guidance only and may vary depending on your own study needs and learning style.

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).