Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM689: The Family, Law and Social Change

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

Module Aims

This module will through the lens of family law and policy critically examine the way in which law responds to social change. It aims to evaluate the theoretical explanations for the nature of this relationship, the doctrinal influences on a domestic and international level and the direct and indirect impact on it of inter-disciplinary socio-legal research.

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 Skills	1. engage in critical reading of national and international theoretical, doctrinal and socio-legal writing on family law to achieve a developed understanding of the various critiques of the relationship between the family, law and society 2. appreciate the sometimes controversial role of socio-legal research in uncovering and identifying the changing processes and social developments which lie behind it.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. develop an inter-disciplinary approach to socio-legal issues, express their own thoughts on the topics studied, such as sociological, political or policy-oriented reflections 4. combine and draw on both theoretical approaches and inter-disciplinary empirical research, while demonstrating the ability to address competing arguments
Personal and Key Skills	5. capacity to conduct independent study and group work and meet deadlines 6. develop critical approach to legal and socio-legal research in the family law and policy domain 7. develop high level of competence in accessing legal and socio-legal bibliographic sources 8. assemble systematic and sustained argument orally and in writing in a family law context

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Staff-led seminars
Seminar 1: Family Definition and the Law - Responses to Social Change and Medical Technology
Seminar 2: Equality and Vulnerability – autonomy, financial remedies and shared parenting.
Seminar 3:
Seminar 4: The legal meaning of domestic violence: a struggle between accepted and marginalised knowledge.
Seminar 5: Cultural and religious diversity, child protection and marriage.
Seminar 6: Student-led seminar
Oral Presentation on topic critiquing article of student's choice relevant to selected summative essay topic.

Learning and Teaching

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
15	135	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 Activities	15 hours	6 x 2.5 hour seminars
Guided independent study	135 hours	Independent study

Online Resources

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