Module LAW2015C for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW2015C: The Law of Torts
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The aims of this module are
- to provide you with a clear understanding of the different types of legal obligation arising under the law of torts, and of the principles and rules governing the main types of tortious obligation;
- to provide you with an understanding of the social and political dimensions of some aspects of tort law;
- to enable you to read case law critically and use it in your own arguments;
- to provide you with the opportunity to argue a tort law case together with others.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the different types of legal obligation arising under the law of torts. 2. Explain and apply the principles and rules governing the main types of tortious obligation. 3. Critically debate the current state of aspects of tort law in social and political context. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Interpret and use case law in written and oral argument. 5. Use library and electronic resources, including journal articles and policy documents, to conduct research into legally complex areas. |
Personal and Key Skills | 6. Collaborate in a team to develop and evaluate strategies for tackling a problem. 7. Distinguish evidence-based claims from unfounded assertions and use evidence to support your own claims and arguments. 8. Demonstrate effective and accurate written communication skills in a manner appropriate to the discipline / different contexts. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- Introduction to tort law
- Personal torts
- The tort of negligence:
- Duty of care
- Omissions
- Psychiatric harm
- Public bodies
- Economic loss
- Breach of the duty of care
- Causation and remoteness of damage
- Defences
- Duty of care
- Occupiers’ liability
- Product liability
- Employers’ liability
- Land-related torts:
- Trespass to land
- Private and public nuisance
- Rylands v Fletcher
- Vicarious liability
Apart from these, the syllabus will also include a focus on the skills of argument.
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 |
---|---|---|
60 | 240 | 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 | 20 | 20 x 1-hour lectures |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 18 | 9 x 2-hour seminars |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 10 | Workshop activities |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 8 | Advocacy Week |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 4 | Mock trial |
Guided Independent Study | 8 | 8 x 1-hour peer-led law firm meetings |
Guided Independent Study | 10 | 5 x 2-hour peer-led law firm meetings |
Guided Independent Study | 65 | Lecture preparation |
Guided Independent Study | 91 | Seminar and workshop preparation |
Guided Independent Study | 15 | Formative assessment preparation |
Guided Independent Study | 51 | Summative assessment preparation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Oral contributions during seminars | 9 x 2-hour seminars | 1-4, 7 | Immediate oral feedback from peers and tutor |
Abstract/outline/bibliography for research essay | 500 words | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 | Written feedback |
Pre-trial oral group submissions | Up to 30 minutes per group | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 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 |
---|---|---|
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Individual written argumentative submission | 35 | 2,000 words | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 | Individual written feedback. Supplementary oral feedback available. General comments given in a lecture or on the ELE |
Reflective commentary on pre-trial oral submissions | 10 | 800 words | 1-8 | Individual written feedback. Supplementary oral feedback available. General comments given in a lecture or on the ELE |
Reflective commentary on teamwork | 10 | 800 words | 6 | Individual written feedback. Supplementary oral feedback available. General comments given in a lecture or on the ELE |
Research essay | 45 | 3,000 words | 1-5, 7, 8 | Individual written feedback. Supplementary oral feedback available. General comments given in a lecture or on the ELE |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Individual written argumentative submission | Individual written argumentative submission (2,000 words) | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
Reflective commentary on pre-trial oral submissions | Reflective commentary on pre-trial oral submissions (800 words) | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
Reflective commentary on teamwork | Reflective commentary on teamwork (800 words) | 6 | August/September reassessment period |
Research essay | Research essay on a controversy in tort law (3,000 words) | 1-5, 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:
- Kirsty Horsey and Erika Rackley, Tort Law (6th edn, Oxford University Press 2019).
- Anthony Weston, A Rulebook for Arguments (5th edn, Hackett Publishing 2018).
- Peter Cane and James Goudkamp, Atiyah’s Accidents, Compensation and the Law (9th edn, Cambridge University Press 2018).