Module LAW3003 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3003: Criminal Law
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
In this module you will cover the core elements of some of the major crimes in the law of England and Wales. The emphasis will be on understanding how the criminal law can be applied to real-life ‘problem’ scenarios. You will also be encouraged to reflect on whether or not the law could be improved, and even propose some creative new approaches. In particular, the module aims to enable you to:
(a) Communicate knowledge and understanding of the major principles and controversies of the criminal law syllabus.
(b) Identify the relevant issues from the criminal law syllabus which arise in a problem or essay question.
(c) Analyse, evaluate and apply the criminal law syllabus in context to reach conclusions.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate in-depth understanding of the general concepts and principles governing the criminal law, their derivation and the various theories that encapsulate and attempt to systematise them; 2. demonstrate detailed knowledge of the law governing the offences and defences covered on the module, including areas of growth or areas in need of reform; 3. demonstrate a critical understanding of the importance of non-legal/contextual materials, including academic commentaries, and be able to use them effectively to produce an academic argument. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of a range of legal rules, concepts, values and principles, and be able to explain and discuss the relationships among them; 5. identify and apply the relevant law to make an informed judgement about the merits and relevance of particular information and make reasoned choices between alternative solutions or arguments; 6. communicate technical legal information and argument effectively and concisely, in a manner appropriate to the discipline. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. take responsibility for your own learning and manage time efficiently in preparing for learning activities, and to work independently within a limited time frame to complete a specified task; 8. identify, retrieve and use efficiently a range of resources with minimal guidance; 9. work effectively with others within a group, meeting obligations to the other members of the group. |
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:
- Homicide
- Non-fatal offences
- Sexual offences
- Theft, Robbery and Burglary
- Criminal damage
- Defences
- Inchoate Offences
- Complicity
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled teaching and learning (synchronous) | 44 | 22 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study (asynchronous) | 176 | 8 hours preparation for 22 seminars |
| Guided independent study | 80 | 3 x assessments 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 x Essays | 1,250 words per essay | 1-9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 5,000 words | 1-9 | Written feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (5,000 words) | 1-9 | 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 – latest editions of:
Herring, Criminal Law: Text Cases and Materials (Oxford University Press)
For further reference:
Herring, Great Debates: Criminal Law (Palgrave)
Horder, Ashworth’s Principles of Criminal Law (Oxford University Press)
Ormerod (ed), Smith and Hogan’s Criminal Law (Oxford University Press)
Simester et al, Criminal Law: Theory and Doctrine (Hart)
