Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3057: Family Law: Adult Relationships

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide both research-enriched learning and teaching by academics actively engaged in research which has been used by family law policy makers and links to family law practice, where members of the teaching team practise as and/or engage regularly with family practitioners. Where possible the module includes judges as visiting speakers and judge shadowing opportunities.
It aims to enable you to analyse critically the legal and policy framework for family law and to engage in an assessment of the effectiveness of the current family justice system.
It aims to facilitate debate on proposals for reform of the law regarding the regulation of partnering at a time when the traditional family is in decline and out of court resolution of family law disputes is being invested in by government.
It aims to encourage you to explore socio-legal research in this area, undertaken by family law specialist academics at Exeter and elsewhere.
It aims to help you develop their oral and negotiation skills in workshops and to expose them to mediation and other styles of conflict resolution procedures.

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. Describe and evaluate the legal framework and central principles governing adult couple/domestic relationships within English family law. 2. Demonstrate awareness of current developments in law, policy and human rights involved in family regulation within national and international legal frameworks and the impact of socio-legal research in this area 3. Demonstrate good understanding of how the family law and family justice system operates for adult family relationships.
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Apply legal knowledge to a problem/ case study and to discuss it 5. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of legal concepts, values, principles, institutions and procedures, and explain the relationships among them 6. Select and present in a coherent way, orally and in writing, relevant law and legal/theoretical arguments
Personal and Key Skills	7. Effectively use both written and oral communication skills in assessed work and workshops. 8. Confidently tackle legal problems by means of a practical problem solving approach in role-play situations, demonstrating effective debating and negotiating skills. 9. Demonstrate good library-based and internet-based research skills.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Introduction and context
Relationship formation
Relationship dissolution
Financial provision on divorce
Cohabitants and the law
Domestic violence

Lectures are complemented by workshops on topics covered scheduled over the two weeks following the lecture.

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
28.5	121.5	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	24	12 x 2 hour Lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	4.5	3 x 1.5 hour Workshops
Guided Independent Study	58.5	Individual reading and lecture preparation
Guided independent study	18	Workshop preparation
Guided independent study	40	Assessment preparation
Guided Independent Study	5	Formative assessment

Online Resources

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

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.

Basic reading:

Gilmore S and Glennon L, Hayes and Williams' Family Law (5^th edn, OUP 2016).

Herring J Family Law (7^th edn, Pearson 2015)

Harris-Short, S and Miles, J. Family Law - Text Cases and Materials (Oxford: Oxford, 2015)

Blackstone’s Statutes onFamily Law.