Module overview
This version of Legal System and Reasoning is provided for you if you are studying the LLB JD Pathway or the LLB Accelerated programme. It is a predominantly skills-based module focusing on the legal system of England and Wales, its institutions and practices, in the context of a more general understanding of law, legal theory and legal reasoning. It is designed to provide you with knowledge, understanding and skills that are foundational to your whole degree programme.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the English Legal System's structures and personnel, as well as its relation to other legal systems.
- an understanding of the doctrines, principles and values underpinning legal practice, including the various contexts in which law is found.
- a number of the important contemporary debates in the practice of legal decision making, in order to better understand both the scope and the limitations of that practice.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- read and critically evaluate cases.
- appreciate what is meant by a statement of law.
- identify and apply the principles of effective legal argument.
- appraise how the courts interpret legislation, including European legislation, and legislation giving effect to international conventions.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- apply the necessary skills which have been developed thoroughly, to engage fully in legal argument by using a variety of different materials.
- engage with your own personal and professional development, and academic integrity.
Syllabus
The module covers the sources of law, the doctrine of precedent, interpretation of legislation, and legal reasoning. It addresses the issue of how to discover what the law is, and develops the skill of legal argument.
Both the structure of the module and its content reflect a commitment to attaining and developing legal skills as an essential aspect of both academic and professional legal life.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching for the module is delivered via weekly lectures and tutorials.
The tutorial works alongside the lectures, offering an opportunity for you to engage in detailed discussion of specific questions relating to the broader issues covered throughout the course. In tutorials you will be introduced to skills that you will be expected to practise and develop throughout the module and which also provide an essential common foundation for your work in all other modules. They also provide an opportunity for you to ask questions about, and obtain feedback on, your progress. Details of individual tutorial assignments, together with readings and questions for guidance, will be placed on Blackboard in advance.
Learning activities include
Lectures will develop:
- the structure of the subject and the key doctrines and principles, institutions, practices and procedure of the English legal system
- major issues and areas of controversy in relation to law and legal reasoning
- complexity and contestability of legal argument, bringing together writings from a variety of different perspectives
Preparation for, and participation in, tutorials will enhance:
- your ability to engage effectively with key legal research skills such as reading, summarising and interpreting sources of law
- your ability to challenge widely held assumptions about the decision-making process and how these impact on the practice of judicial decision making
your ability to assess and comment critically on the effectiveness of others’ legal argument
- your ability to discuss and defend your own argument among your peers
- your time management and individual research skills
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Tutorial | 10 |
Preparation for scheduled sessions | 40 |
Wider reading or practice | 20 |
Follow-up work | 20 |
Lecture | 22 |
Revision | 38 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Resources. Access to primary source material in the form of cases, statutes and secondary materials are all available either in the Library of via electronic legal databases. Skills guides developed for the module will also be made available through Blackboard. There are textbooks which can be used for reference, but the module can be studied without the need to purchase a textbook.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Tutorial
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Feedback will be provided, in accordance with Law School policy.
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Coursework | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Coursework | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External