Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW1013: French Constitutional Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

It is envisaged that the syllabus will include the following topics in the following order although precise content and order may vary.

General Introduction: Definition of the concepts of State and Constitution; French Constitutional history and the French concept of Republic

The Third Republic;
Foundation
The Executive Power (President of the Republic, Government, Système d’Assemblée)
The Legislative Power (Parliament)

The Fifth Republic;
Foundation
The Executive Power (President of the Republic, Government, Présidentialisme et cohabitation);
The Legislative Power (Parliament);
The Rule of Law (hierarchy of norms and control of constitutionality, the Constitutional Council).

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
65	235	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 activity	44	Lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	14	Tutorials
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities	7	7 x 1hr Individualised Feedback Sessions
Guided Independent study	90	Tutorial preparation and essay
Guided Independent study	55	Consolidation of lecture notes
Guided Independent study	90	Pre lecture reading

Online Resources

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

Legifrance; official websites of the main French political institutions; further guidance will be provided in lectures.

Other Learning Resources

Folders on topical subjects or institutions related to the course are regularly distributed at the beginning of each term as the work involved in the LLB European (French) / Maîtrise (Master 1) degree programme is heavily research based.

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
Seven essays	Maximum 2,500 words each	1-11	Oral and written feedback on an individual basis
Mock examination	2 hours	1-11	Oral and written feedback on an individual basis

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
0	100	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
Examination	100	3 hours	1-11	Written and one to one feedback
	0
	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
Examination	Examination (3 hours)	1-11	August/September reassessment period