Module LAW2104 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW2104: Changing the Law - Theory and Practice
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to provide you with:
- a good working knowledge of the key aspects of statutory law reform—how decisions are taken by the Executive, the role of the Law Commissions and the Parliamentary process;
- insights into the way law may be shaped through the lobbying power of commercial interests and others;
- an understanding of the role of the judiciary and the willingness or reluctance of individual judges to intervene where law is perceived as unsatisfactory;
- an awareness of international influences on the formation of our law.
The module will enable you to:
- assess critically the law reform process, identifying its strengths and weaknesses,
- identify the hidden pressure exerted by commercial and other interests,
- evaluate the effectiveness of the law reform process, using case studies,
- understand how law reform might in given circumstances best be achieved.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. Explain and evaluate the main legal institutions and procedures relevant to law reform. 2. Identify, explain and discuss key issues in law reform and to apply relevant rules and theories. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of legal concepts, values, principles, institutions and procedures, and the ability to explain the relationships among them. 4. Select and present in a coherent way, orally and in writing, relevant law and legal/theoretical arguments. |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. Manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies and to develop own arguments and opinions with some guidance. 6. Work independently and to manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities, exercises and assessments. |
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, utilising case studies where appropriate:
- Who makes law, the constraints and challenges, the divide between political and technocratic cultures.
- The international dimension.
- Acts of Parliament—the respective roles of departments and Parliament.
- When Parliament fails to act.
- How important is law-making to MPs, compared with all the other things they do? How can Parliamentary scrutiny be improved?
- The role of Parliamentary Counsel—reconciling political pressures with the technicalities of drafting. Are some clauses simply declaratory, with no technical content?
- Judges—to what extent can and should they engage in law reform?
- The Law Commissions—why are some reports implemented and others not?
- Delegated legislation.
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 |
---|---|---|
29.5 | 120.5 | 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 | 22 | 11 x 2 hour Lectures |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 7.5 | 5 x 1.5 hour Workshops |
Guided Independent study | 52.5 | Individual reading and lecture preparation |
Guided Independent study | 18 | Workshop preparation |
Guided Independent study | 40 | Assessment preparation |
Guided Independent study | 10 | Formative assessment |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Essay plan | 1,000 words | 1-6 | Written individual feedback |
Workshops involving problem solving questions and topics for discussion and debate. | 5 x 1.5 hour Workshops | 1-6 | Verbal feedback |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 100 | 3,000 words | 1-6 | Written/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.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period. |
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:
Robert Rogers and Rhodri Walters, How Parliament Works, 7th ed (2015) (£30.38)
Anthony King, Who Governs Britain (2015) (£6.77 paperback, £3.49 Kindle)
John Kay, Other People’s Money (on financial regulation). (2016) (£7.43 paperback, £6.47 kindle).
The devil is in the detail: Parliament and Delegated Legislation (£15)
Michael Zander, The Law Making Process (2015) £38.86
Making Better Law: Reform of the Legislative Process (2010)
Parliament, Policy and Lawmaking (2004) (free)