Module LAW1016C for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW1016C: A Legal Foundation for Environmental Protection
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
The aim of this module is to introduce you to the challenges that we face in environmental law and the difficulties associated with balancing different values and interests that people, businesses and nations have in decisions that affect their environment. Planning decisions permit development that can impact our ecosystems, and they limit development to prevent harm. Businesses, industry, the economy, our ecosystems and ultimately our planet are all impacted by decisions that are made on a local, national and global basis to permit or prevent development, and this module will introduce you to the systems and procedures that facilitate these controls.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. describe comprehensively the principles and foundations that underpin environmental law and policy on a local, national and global scale 2. identify and understand the role and function of the judiciary and the main regulatory bodies involved in environmental protection and law making |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. relate theoretical perspectives to specific case scenarios 4. synthesise information and recognise relevance and, with guidance, develop a sustained and reasoned argument 5. begin, with guidance, to evaluate and articulate weaknesses in the arguments of others. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. retrieve and efficiently use primary and secondary library-based and electronic sources with minimum guidance 7. make small-group presentations on a selected topic and defend an argument in seminar discussions and debate 8. understand and reflect upon substantive and theoretical texts 9. work independently and manage time efficiently and effectively in preparing coursework 10. effectively interact with peers for small-group presentations and general discussion, modifying own position where appropriate |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshops will provide students with opportunities for formative feedback throughout the module. | 3 x 2 hour workshops | 1-10 | Peer and lecturer feedback and guidance |
| There will be a mid-term test to check progress on key themes and concepts. | 25 short answer questions | 1-8, 8 | Answers will be given by the tutor and discussed to check understanding |
| A draft of Part 1 of the portfolio may be handed in between weeks 4 and 5 which will be marked and returned to students with written feedback. | 500 words | 1-6, 8-9 | with written feedback to aid progression to the completion of the portfolio |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directed individual presentation in a debate setting (students will role-play and represent the position of a stakeholder at a public hearing.) | 20 | 15 minute presentation of debate (followed by 10 minutes of questions from peers and tutor) | 1-8, 10 | Oral feedback following debate from peers and lecturer |
| Written counter-argument to the position taken during the debate (which should include an opinion on the stakeholders most likely to disagree with this position and why.) | 30 | 1000 words | 1-6, 8-10 | Written feedback directly linking the content of the work to the marking criteria |
| A five-part critical Learning Portfolio covering 4 selected topics from the module. The learning portfolio should be critical and evaluative of the issues, concepts, readings and values addressed on the module. The word limit is 2500 and should include the following elements: An introduction where you provide some background about your experiences on the module so far and your initial thoughts about the relevance of environmental law to environmental science (250 words). A series of four themes you draw from your learning on the module, which should be directly related to the topics studied. For each one you should reflect on your initial responses to the topic, critically explore the reading you undertook and comment on how your views have developed (500 words for each part). Please note that for each topic covered on the module indicative themes/ questions that might be addressed will be provided as guidance. A conclusion, in which you draw the sections of your portfolio together and reflect on your learning during the module (250 words). | 50 | 500 word per part (2500 words) | 1-6, 8-9 | Written feedback directly linking the content of the work to the marking criteria |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debate and counter-argument. | Essay (1500 words) worth 50% replicating the ideas considered in the original assessment | 1-6, 8-10 | August/September Reassessment period |
| Portfolio | Portfolio to be re-submitted worth 50% | 1-6, 8-9 | August/September Reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Re-assessment will be by means of a replacement piece of work to be submitted during the August/September reassessment period referral / deferral period equivalent to the failed element of the original assessment.
