Module LAW1016C for 2021/2
- 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 2021/2 academic year.
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.
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 | 8 x 2 hour workshops | 1-6 | Peer and lecturer feedback and guidance |
| A draft of Part 1 of the portfolio | 500 words | 1-5, 7-8 | Written 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual presentation (students will role-play and represent the position of a stakeholder at a public hearing.) | 20 | 5 minute presentation (and 10 minutes of asking and answering questions) | 1-6 | Oral and written feedback |
| Skeleton of own argument in the debate and 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) | 40 | 1,750 words | 1-6, 8 | Written feedback directly linking the content of the work to the marking criteria |
| A Learning Portfolio covering selected topics from the module. | 40 | 1,750 words | 1-3, 7-8 | Written feedback |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation and Skeleton Argument and Written Counter-Argument | Written argument and counter-argument (2000 words) replicating the ideas considered in the original assessments (60%) | 1-6, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Portfolio | Portfolio (1,750 words) (40%) | 1-3, 7-8 | August/September reassessment period |
