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 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1,000 words | 1-7 | Written comments; oral feedback available on request |
| Examination | 2 hours | 1-7 | Sample exam paper with self-marking material and guidance made available on ELE; further guidance from tutor available on request |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One essay comprising two parts: (1) a 2,500 word essay and (2) a 500 word reflective commentary | 50 | 3,000 words in total | 1-7 | Written feedback; additional oral feedback available on request |
| Examination | 50 | 2 hours | 1-7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One essay comprising two parts: (1) a 2,500 word essay and (2) a 500 word reflective commentary | One essay comprising two parts: (1) a 2,500 word essay and (2) a 500 word reflective commentary (3,000 words in total) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Examination | Examination (2 hours) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
