Module PHL2061 for 2022/3
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2061: Philosophy of Law
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
Module Aims
- To introduce you to a range of critical perspectives about the nature and justification of modern legal systems.
- To develop your capacities for philosophical analysis and reasoning.
- To encourage reflection on the moral, economic, and political basis of the modern state.
- To prepare you for a wide range of legal and political career paths by showing the relevance of their philosophical training to “real world” practical debates.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate the ability to think critically about the place of law in its broader philosophical context; 2. demonstrate understanding of the key issues in classic debates about the nature of law, the grounds of legal reasoning, and the justification of judicial punishment; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. apply philosophical reasoning to practical disputes outside of academia; 4. understand the integrated nature of ethics, political theory, law, and economics; |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. communicate complex ideas in clear and precise written and verbal form; and 6. construct, evaluate, and criticise arguments. |
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:
Positivism v Natural Law Theory (e.g. Hart, Dworkin, Raz, Finnis, Fuller)
Legal Realism, Critical Legal Studies and Critical Race Theory
Legal Reasoning and Judicial Interpretation
Theories of Punishment (e.g. retributivism, deterrentism, abolitionism)
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 |
---|---|---|
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 Activity | 22 | Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar |
Guided Independent Study | 40 | Assigned readings associated with each tutorial |
Guided Independent Study | 88 | Preparation of Assigned Essays |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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.
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 1 | 50 | 1,875 words | 1-6 | Written |
Essay 2 | 50 | 1,875 words | 1-6 | Written |
0 | ||||
0 | ||||
0 | ||||
0 |
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 1 | Essay (1,875 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Essay 2 | Essay (1,875 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |