Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM145: Dignity, Democracy and the Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

The module closely follows political developments and international discussion on human dignity, human rights and democracy. Drawing on the module convenor’s internationally recognised research in this field, it aims to provide you with a cutting edge, research-enriched learning opportunity. By studying the connections between human dignity and democracy from a range of perspectives in an interactive and discursive pedagogical environment, this module seeks to enable you to make sense of some of the current challenges to democracy and human rights.

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. demonstrate detailed knowledge of, and an ability to evaluate critically, a wide range of theoretical issues at the intersection of human dignity, human rights and democracy; 2. demonstrate a deep and systematic knowledge of, and an ability to evaluate critically, a wide range of issues raised by the reliance on human dignity and human rights in treaty law and related case law.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. use a wide range of sources and materials, including case law from different courts, theoretical and substantive academic commentaries, statutes, constitutions and treaties, in a critical and constructive way; 4. demonstrate flexible and innovative ability to analyse complex legal problems, identify the relative significance of applicable rules and principles, and select appropriate methods for critically evaluating them.
Personal and Key Skills	5. demonstrate independent thinking and ability to construct critical argument effectively, confidently and autonomously; 6. work independently and manage time efficiently in preparing for module activities and assessments; 7. demonstrate confident ability to interact effectively and proactively with a team/learning group, to share information and ideas and to manage disagreement in a professional and constructive manner.

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:

Human dignity and democracy: a global phenomenon
Philosophical roots
Human dignity and human rights after 1945
Human dignity and democracy (Council of Europe)
Human dignity and civilisation (ECHR)
Human dignity as first foundational value of the EU (Treaty of Lisbon)
Human dignity under the EU Charter (Treaty of Lisbon)
Dignity democracy: key theories and core issues
The role of law in promoting dignity democracy

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
33	117	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	33	22 x 1.5 hour interactive workshops (two per week). Initially, the lecturer will lead workshops, with students expected to become gradually more involved in defining the workshops focus and in leading them.
Guided independent study	50	Workshop preparation
Guided independent study	67	Reflection, research, and the preparation of formative and summative assessments.

Online Resources

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

ECJ case law: http://curia.europa.eu

ECHR case law: http://www.echr.coe.int/

Venice Commission: http://www.venice.coe.int/

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Other Learning Resources

Primary legal materials (e.g treaties, constitutions, case law etc ….) as available on official websites
Relevant and authoritative blog posts
Selected video clips/podcasts as available on youtube, media webpages, and official organisations.