Module LAW3155 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3155: Law, Politics and Power
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
The aim of the module is to give you the opportunity to question the nature of law and its place in society through active discussion of a range of critical and theoretical perspectives. Drawing on the teaching team’s research expertise, the module aims to enable you to develop your own critical, research-based perspectives and to provide you with unique interdisciplinary learning opportunities, as it is envisaged that the innovative cyclical pattern of lectures and interactive workshops will engender particularly rich discussions. Focusing on the development of independent student research skills, critical thinking, and specifically the use of critical theoretical approaches to challenge assumptions, the module aims to give you the opportunity to develop capacities that are particularly valued by employers.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate a thorough and critical knowledge and understanding of various theories of law, using a wide range of appropriate concepts, interpretative techniques and terminology 2. Research a legal question independently and demonstrate competence in applying relevant theories selectively and critically in order to formulate and evaluate a response to it 3. Demonstrate detailed and accurate understanding of some of the relevant legal practice, social, economic, political, historical, philosophical, ethical and cultural contexts within which theories of law have been developed and operate |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Make an independent and effective critical judgement about the merits and relevance of particular information and make reasoned choices between alternative solutions or arguments 5. Communicate technical legal information and argument effectively, concisely and reflectively, orally and in writing, in an appropriate manner and in task-specific ways |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Identify, retrieve and use, independently and efficiently, a range of library-based and electronic resources with minimum guidance 7. Manage time independently and efficiently in preparing for learning activities, to be proactive in developing own learning, and to work independently within a limited time frame to complete a specified task |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation in workshop discussions (this is relevant because each cycle includes two workshops, with the first leading into the second; also students will need to draw on workshop work for the summative reflective commentary) | Individual contributions in workshops | All | Comments from other students and tutor |
| Short essay voluntary submission of a draft section of, or plan for, the summative essay; draft or plan may be reworked and developed on basis of feedback in preparation for the summative essay | 1000 words | All | Written comments; oral feedback available on request |
| Mock exam - voluntary and self-marked | 2.5 hour | All | Sample exam paper with self-marking material and guidance made available on ELE; further guidance from tutor available on request |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One essay comprising two parts: (1) 3000 word essay (from choice of two titles) (2) 750 word reflective commentary | 50 | 3750 total | All | Written; plus general feedback to be posted on ELE |
| Examination | 50 | 2.5 hours | All | General feedback to be posted on ELE after exam. Oral feedback available on request |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 as above | Essay as above | All | August / September re-assessment period |
| Examination | Examination (2.5 hours) | All | August/ September re-assessment period |
