Module LAW2153 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW2153: Law, Democracy and Populism: The Rise and Fall of Constitutional Democracy
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The main aims of this module are twofold. The first is to provide you with the opportunity to identify, understand and assess, from a legal and interdisciplinary perspective, the key components of constitutional democracy. The second, interrelated aim is to give you the tools to critically understand and analyse the defining features of contemporary populism and their implications on constitutional democracy. As such, the module will enable you to explore the relationship between constitutional democracy, populism and legal instruments and institutions, taken broadly, including constitutions and courts. In the same vein, the module will encourage you to reflect on the role of – and consequences of – populism on the exercise of public power in contemporary society. Focusing on the development of independent student research, a final aim of the module is to inculcate analytical, research and presentational skills.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Identify, explain and critically comprehend and assess the key components of constitutional democracy. 2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of contemporary populism as a legal phenomenon; and critically identify, comprehend and assess the main constitutional and legal implications of contemporary populism. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the role(s) of constitutions, courts and other legal instruments and institutions in a constitutional democracy. 4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the relationship between populism and legal institutions through a legal and interdisciplinary lens. |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. Research doctrine and (if applicable) case law; and select, integrate and present coherently, reflectively and succinctly, in writing, relevant concepts and arguments. 6. Prepare analytically compelling work that relies on diverse primary and secondary sources, employs appropriate interpretative techniques and presents a nuanced line of argument. 7. Engage in debate effectively and develop complex arguments and opinions with some guidance. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
I. Theory
- Law, Constitutions and Constitutionalism
- The Rule of Law and the Idea of Constitutional Democracy
- The Populist Critique of the “Liberal” Component of Constitutional Democracy: Populism, “the People” and Popular Sovereignty
II. From Theory to Practice
- The Rise of Constitutional Democracy and the “End of History” (1989-2011)
- The Legal Implications of Contemporary Populism (I): Populism as a Constitutional Project
- The Legal Implications of Contemporary Populism (II): Populism and Courts
- Democratic Backsliding: The Fall of Constitutional Democracy?
- Rejuvenating Constitutional Democracy?
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 |
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22 | 128 |
...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 activities | 20 | 10 x 2-hour seminars |
Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 2 | 2 x 1-hour lectures (i.e., introduction and further guidance on the assessment) |
Guided independent study | 50 | Preparation for seminars (including reading time and preparation for discussion questions) |
Guided independent study | 15 | Independent research and writing of formative essay / plan for summative essay |
Guided independent study | 23 | Independent research and preparation for presentation (summative) |
Guided independent study | 40 | Independent research and writing of summative essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).