Module LAWM131 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
LAWM131: Artificial Intelligence and the Law
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- What is Artificial Intelligence and how does it work?
- Development of Artificial Intelligence and its role in society
- Researching and Understanding Technology Law
- Use of Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice
- The Law of Autonomous Transportation (Cars, Ships and Drones)
- Artificial Intelligence and the Law of Armed Conflict
- Law of Artificial Intelligence in Finance
- Smart Contracts and the Law
- Human Rights Challenges and Artificial Intelligence
- Intellectual Property and AI
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 270 | 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 | 30 | 10 x 3 hour combined lecture-seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Preparation for lectures/seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Post-lecture/seminar reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Preparation for formative assessments |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Preparation for summative assessments |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
BAILII
Europa
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 assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2,500 words | 1-6 | Written and oral feedback |
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.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 5,000 words | 1-6 | Written feedback, 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 assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (5,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment 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).
