Module LAW3155 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3155: Law, Politics and Power
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The aim of the module is to give you the opportunity to question the nature of law and its place in political systems through active discussion of a range of theoretical, historical and current perspectives and debates. Drawing on the lecturer’s research expertise, the module aims to enable you to develop your own critical, research-based interpretations and to provide you with unique interdisciplinary learning opportunities that stimulate reflection and discussion. Focusing on the development of your independent research skills and critical thinking, the module aims to give you the chance to develop capacities that are particularly valued by employers.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate a thorough and critical knowledge and understanding of various theories of law and politics, using a wide range of appropriate concepts, interpretative techniques and terminology; 2. research a legal question independently and demonstrate competence in applying relevant theories selectively and critically in order to formulate and evaluate a response to it; 3. demonstrate detailed and accurate understanding of some of the relevant legal, social, economic, political, historical, philosophical, and cultural contexts within which theories of law have been developed and operate. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. make an independent and effective critical judgement about the merits and relevance of particular information and make reasoned choices between alternative solutions or arguments; 5. communicate technical legal information and argument effectively, concisely and reflectively, and in task-specific ways. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. identify, retrieve and use, independently and efficiently, a range of appropriate resources with minimum guidance; 7. manage time independently and efficiently in preparing for learning activities, to be proactive in developing own learning, and to work independently within a limited time frame to complete a specified task. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s content may vary, it is envisaged that it will begin with a foundational section to introduce key concepts and methods, before covering six topics organized under some or all of the following thematic headings.
- Introduction to the module: working with legal and political theories; working with legal and political history; key terminology and skills; understanding descriptive and normative approaches; developing critical thinking; forming and expressing an informed opinion.
Module topics:
- Liberalism and law: liberal theories of the social contract and law; historical examples of liberalism and republicanism.
- Liberal democracy and the rule of law: theories and types of democracy; histories and theories of liberal democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law.
- Critical responses to liberal law: Marxist theories of society, economic power and law; Critical Legal Studies; feminist theory; critical race theory; postmodern theory.
- Political reactions against liberal democracy and the reorientation of law – historical and current examples: Communism; Fascism; National Socialism; populism and new forms of autocratic legalism and authoritarianism.
- Law and rights: histories and theories of legal rights and human rights; critiques of rights.
- Power, force and violence in law and politics: the use of force; critical perspectives on judgment; theories of punishment; postmodern theories of power and law; legal education, hierarchy and colonialism.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | 263 | 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 & Teaching activities | 1 | 1 x 1 hour lecture in first week of module to outline module format, ILOs and assessment |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 1 | 1 x 1 hour lecture in last week of module to conclude |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 14 | 1 x 2 hour lectures for each of the topic cycles (7 in total) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 21 | 14 x 1.5 hour workshop spread across the topic cycles (2-3 per cycle) |
| Guided Independent study | 56 | 8 hours reading before and/or after each lecture |
| Guided Independent Study | 56 | 4 hours reading before and after each workshop |
| Guided Independent Study | 151 | Reading, revision and preparation for the assessment |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Web based and electronic resources including video clips and audio material will be provided on ELE.
Other Learning Resources
Lecture/ topic outlines, reading lists, further URL links and other material will be provided on ELE.
