Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3176: Researching Public International Law

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

Module Aims

This is a research-led module where you will collectively decide, in agreement with the convener, on the substantive area for research which will broadly fall within public international law. This is likely to be in response to contemporary issues or debates in public international law. The primary aim of this module is to enable you to publish in a peer-reviewed journal, developing advanced level skills in research, writing and collaboration. It is hoped that you will consider further research and study within public international law at postgraduate level. It is anticipated that the development of research skills will be transferable to other areas of further study, or to employment where research and writing skills are required.

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. Identify, research and write an article in public international law, suitable for publication. 2. Demonstrate critical analysis of issues in public international law through writing and discussion.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Demonstrate capacity understand, analyse and synthesise a range of legal and non-legal sources. 4. Critically evaluate a discrete area of law, and demonstrate the ability to contribute to a field of debate.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Develop effective and critical research and writing skills. 6. work collaboratively with others, and under supervision, towards agreed goals.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

You will attend class each week to plan and discuss your research project. In Week 1, you will meet your research collaborators, and will discuss with the convener different avenues for the research project. In subsequent weeks, you will be assigned individual and collaborative tasks by agreement, and will be accountable for that work at each subsequent meeting of the group. For example, you might be asked to research a discrete area and report back to the group the following week. Or you might be asked to write 1,000 words on an area or set of sources. Everyone in the group will, during the module, undertake both research and writing. Towards the end of the module, students will turn their focus to editing and completion of the (approx.) 12,000 word article. Discussions will then turn towards publication, and submission to a peer-reviewed journal. The summative assessment will comprise of a group element (the finished article), and an assessment of your individual contribution through your individual writing contributions and your class-based contributions.

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
16.5	133.5	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	16.5	11 x 1.5hr workshops
Guided independent study	133.5	Research and writing connected to the project

Online Resources

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

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
Draft sections of the article	1,000 words	1-6	Written and oral
Each week you will be allocated a research task such as: i) a report on an area of law of less than 1,000 words, ii) a 5-10 minute presentation on a journal article, iii) a 1-page bibliography of resources on a specific area of research inquiry.		1-6	Oral

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
Group Project	40	Article-length e.g. 12,000 words	1-6	Written
Individual writing contributions	40	2,000 words	1-6	Written and oral
Class contribution your level of participation in research discussions will be recorded by the convenor.	20		1-6	Written and oral

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.

Re-assessment notes

Reassessment will take the form of an individual research paper, on a research question to be agreed with the convenor. In the event that 100% is reassessed, this research paper will take the form of a 6,000 word paper. In the event that students complete the class contribution element of summative assessment (20%), reassessment of the remainder will take the form of a 5,000 word assessment (80%).

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:

It is expected that the reading materials for this module will depend upon the defined research questions agreed with Professor Schmitt. For general guidance on researching and writing in law:

R Huxley-Binns et al, Unlocking legal learning, (Hodder Arnold 2005), ch.5

M Salter and J Mason, Writing Law Dissertations: an Introduction and Guide to the Conduct of Legal Research (Longman, 2007)

M McConville, Research Methods for Law (Edinburgh University Press, 2007)

R Banaker and M Travers, Theory and Method in Socio-Legal Research (Hart, 2005)