Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW1016C: A Legal Foundation for Environmental Protection

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 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.

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. describe the principles and foundations that underpin environmental law and policy 2. identify and understand the role and function of the state, judiciary regulatory bodies, and non-governmental organisations involved in environmental protection and law making.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. relate law and policy to environmental problems 4. develop a reasoned argument. at a foundational level 5. evaluate and articulate weaknesses in the arguments of others at a foundational level
Personal and Key Skills	6. make oral presentations on a selected topic and defend an argument orally 7. reflect upon individual learning journey 8. work independently and manage workload effectively

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The module begins by considering the development of environmental concern over the last 60 years and how the law has responded. The module looks at the scope of environmental law and its relevance to your studies. The module will then build on this introduction and will include the following topics:-

The challenges we face in Environmental Law – reflecting on our history and the role of law in navigating environmental crises.

Foundational principles in environmental law – taking precaution, preventing harm from happening in the first place and the principle that where there is pollution, that the polluter should be held accountable.

Reconciling conflicting attitudes and interests with a view to protecting the environment.

Navigating the planning system and the role of planning in sustainable development

Environmental Assessment and Permitting – a right to pollute the planet, or an effective example of ‘command and control’ type regulation?

Legal mechanics for the non-lawyer – the role of the courts in environmental law - how should environmental wrongdoers be punished?

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
32	118	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	20	Interactive lectures: Core content will be delivered and explored during interactive lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	4	Mock Public hearing
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	8	Workshops
Guided Independent Study	40	Individual acquisition and widening learning on topics
Guided Independent Study	28	Deepening task based activities conducted independently and as part of a peer-led group
Guided Independent Study	50	Consolidation task-based activities including preparation of formative and summative work

Online Resources

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

An Electronic Learning Environment (ELE) will accompany the course.