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LAW-20045 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2024/25 Last Updated: 25 April 2024

LAW-20045 - Mental Health Law - FHEQ Level 5
Coordinator: Laura Pritchard-Jones Tel: +44 1782 7 33861
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733218

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Mental Health Law is a rapidly developing area of English law and has emerged as a subject in its own right. This module aims to provide an appreciation of the general legal and ethical principles underlying mental health law. It covers various topics including: What is mental disorder?; the historical development of mental health law and sources of law; mental capacity; admission to hospital; treatment in hospital; discharge; the criminal justice system and mental health; antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy; and infanticide.
The module is taught over nine 2-hour lectures and five 2-hour seminars. The assessment is a 3000-word research essay.

Aims
This module will provide students with an understanding of mental health law, introducing theoretical arguments concerning diagnosis and identification of mental illnesses, social policy dimensions, and legal doctrine. Key themes will include autonomy, capacity, control, coercion and empowerment.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/law-20045/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

Analyse and evaluate core principles of mental health law and how these principles are influenced by policy, social norms and theoretical perspectives: 1
Identify relevant primary and secondary, legal and non-legal materials, relating to mental health law through library and online database such as WestLaw and LexisNexis and critically evaluate these materials: 1
Organise and conduct effective research on mental health law: 1
Develop coherence and clarity in written argument that allows them to articulate to others a critical evaluation of the knowledge they have acquired: 1
Development of key transferable skills relevant to employment: 1

Study hours

8 x 2 hr lectures = 16
6 x 1 hr seminars = 6
Seminar preparation = 40
Independent study = 82
Total: 150

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Essay weighted 100%
Essay with a word limit of 2,500 words (excluding footnotes)
A 2,500 word essay from a set of approved questions. The essay topics will require students to critically analyse issues covered in the module.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may 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: 25 April 2024