Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM715: International Migration and the Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide you with a deep understanding of the international law framework for the regulation of international migration and the legal, political and conceptual problems associated with this framework. You will learn to appreciate and analyse key debates and undertake independent academic research at an advanced level in this area. 

The module also aims to develop your capacity to present complex ideas and to identify, explain, analyse and critique in writing complex factual material, legal instruments, and debates and concepts, using appropriate structure, register and language and supported by competent referencing and bibliography.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of the main international and EU law instruments relevant to international migration and the relationship between them and with national laws;
2. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the operation and effectiveness of the relevant international law in a number of selected areas and the difficulties that arise from their interaction with national states’ laws and politics;
3. Identify, explain and evaluate key issues relating to international and European law and migration critically and comprehensively and to apply relevant rules and theoretical concepts systematically
4. Carry out independent advanced research into complex legal and policy questions within the area of international migration law;
Discipline-Specific Skills5. Demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of legal concepts and critical awareness of their contextual/social/political implications
6. Identify, explain, analyse and critique in writing complex factual material, legal instruments, and debates and concepts, using appropriate structure, register and language and supported by competent referencing and bibliography.
7. Integrate and assess complex information from primary and secondary legal sources comprehensively, using appropriate interpretative techniques
Personal and Key Skills8. Manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies confidently and independently, and to develop own arguments and opinions at a very high/ professional level
9. Identify, retrieve and use the full range of library-based and electronic resources efficiently and autonomously

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay on a question relating to the regulation of migration in international law.1000 words2, 5,6, 7, 8, 9Written individual feedback; generic feedback on ELE

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay 1342,000 words1-9Written individual feedback and generic feedback on ELE
Essay 2665,000 words1-9Written individual feedback
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Essay 1Essay (2,000 words)1-9August / September re-assessment period
Essay 2Essay (5,000 words)1-9August/September reassessment period