Keele Badge

LAW-10039 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2022/23 Last Updated: 05 July 2022

LAW-10039 - Legal Essentials
Coordinator: Stella M Coyle Room: CBC1.028 Tel: +44 1782 7 34363
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733218

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23


Aims
To introduce the technical, legal, personal and academic skills needed to function effectively as a Law student, through delivery of 4 streams of learning and teaching: Thinking Law; Making Law; Doing Law; and Being Law.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/law-10039/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate familiarity with the structure of the English Legal System: 1,2
Demonstrate familiarity with the Parliamentary process relating to the creation of legislation, and the doctrines of Parliamentary sovereignty and the separation of powers: 1,2
Locate, retrieve and use case reports, statutory materials and a range of secondary legal and non-legal materials: 2
Think and write critically about the law: 2
Use appropriate legal writing conventions, and the ability to structure answers to problem questions and legal essays: 2
Demonstrate familiarity with the concepts of statutory interpretation, legal reasoning, precedent, ratio decidendi, obiter dicta and the significance of dissenting judgements: 1,2
Demonstrate the personal, practical and professional skills needed to be an effective Law student: 2

Study hours

Scheduled teaching:
Lectures and other recorded material = 16 hours (asynchronous)
Seminars, workshops and drop-in sessions = 34 hours
Self-directed study, library work and assessment preparation:
For classes = 30 hours
For MCQ assessment and test = 30 hours
For Critical Writing assessment = 40 hours
Total = 150 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Multiple Choice Questions - Knowledge weighted 40%
Timed Multiple-Choice Questions
A set of timed multiple-choice questions, to be attempted in one 1-hour sitting within a 48-hour window in Week 5, based on knowledge of the English Legal System, judicial reasoning and the Parliamentary process. The 1-hour time limit is adjusted accordingly for students entitled to additional time.

2: Essay weighted 60%
Critical Analysis of a Legal Case
A 1000-word critical analysis of a legal case, demonstrating the following: Appreciation of key issues; Understanding of statutory interpretation; Understanding of ratio and precedent; Significance of dissenting judgments; and Critical analysis of the decision in the case.

Please note that for the 2021/22 Academic Year all programmes will be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there will be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 05 July 2022