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 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 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 |
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 |
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:
- Bell and McGillivray, Pedersen, Lees, Stokes, Environmental Law (9th edn, OUP 2017)
- Elizabeth Fisher, Bettina Lange, and Eloise Scotford, Environmental Law: Text, Cases & Materials (2nd Edition, OUP 2019)
- Wolf and Stanley on Environmental Law, Wolf, F and Stanley, N (6th edition, 2013) Routledge Taylor and Francis
- Finch and Fafinski, Legal Skills, OUP (7th Edition, 2019).
- Kramer, EC Environmental Law, Sweet and Maxwell (8th Edition, 2016)
- Connie, Bradney and Burton, English Legal System in Context (5th Edition, 2010), OUP, Oxford
- Partington, M, Introduction to the English Legal System (2019) OUP Oxford
