Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM131: Artificial Intelligence and the Law

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

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
Essay2000 words1-4, 6Individual written and oral feedback from the module convenor

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
80020

...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
Essay806000 words1-4, 6Written, with oral feedback available on request
Presentation2010 minutes with 5 minutes for questions1-6Written, with oral feedback available on request

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
EssayEssay (6000 words)1-4, 6August/September reassessment period
PresentationPresentation (10 minutes with 5 minutes for questions)1-6August/September reassessment period

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

House of Lords, Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, ‘AI in the UK: Willing, Able and Ready’ (HL Paper 100, April 2018)

Matthew Channon, Kyriaki Noussia and Lucy McCormick, ‘Law and Autonomous Vehicles’ (Informa 2019)

The Law Commission project on the electronic signature of documents: available at https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/electronic-execution-of-documents/

The Law Commission project on smart contracts: available at https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/smart-contracts/

MN Schmitt & JS Thurner, ‘"Out of the Loop": Autonomous Weapon Systems and the Law of Armed Conflict’ (2013) 4 Harvard National Security Journal 232.

ET Jensen & R Alcala (eds), The Impact of Emerging Technologies on the Law of Armed Conflict (OUP 2019).