LAW-30091 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

LAW-10039 Legal Essentials

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Module overview: This module will introduce you to issues relating to gender, sexuality and law. There is particular research strength in this field of scholarship within the School. The module will approach questions of gender and sexuality from historical, theoretical and law reform perspectives which will provide you with tools to help you make sense of law and its contemporary and historical operations.
Module content: The module will consider a number of concrete examples of social and legal struggle around issues of gender and sexuality. Thus you will examine the medico-legal regulation of trans people; queer childhood sexuality, LGBTQI refugees and asylum claims, the regulation of gender in prison, and the clash of rights between sexual orientation and religious faith. You will also consider judgment writing from feminist/queer perspectives. That is, the module will pose, and invite you to try to answer, the question: what might a legal judgment look like if re-written according to feminist and/or queer principles?
Module delivery: will be by a team and be part lecture/part tutorial in format. That is, you will be provided with an overview for each class followed by a discussion of the relevant issues in which you will be encouraged to participate.
Module Assessment: will take the form of an independent research essay of 4,000 words, to be selected from a choice of four essays. You will be provided with feedback on a 500 word plan of your essay.
Research-led teaching: the GSL module is taught by staff who are at the cutting edge of GSL research in the UK and internationally. They regularly intervene politically in a series of debates around GSL issues. By way of example, listen to two recent interviews, one with Dr Sen Raj and the other, Professor Alex Sharpe:

1. to introduce students to the concepts of gender and sexuality.
2. to enable students to develop a critical perspective on the relationship between gender, sexuality and the law.

Intended Learning Outcomes

critically analyse the role law plays in the regulation of gender and sexuality: 1,2
apply theoretical knowledge to a series of 'concrete' socio-legal issues: 1,2
develop independent research and writing skills through completion of a research essay: 2
demonstrate a critical and evaluative understanding of sexual and gender dimensions of law/legal studies: 1,2
develop independent critical reflective practice in learning through reflective writing portfolios: 1
acquire real life authentic skills involving communicating with wider audiences and showcasing assessment outputs to future real employment situations beyond university: 2

Study hours

11 x 2 hours seminars, and 22x2 hours asynchronous learning and seminar preparation = 66 hours
Independent study hours (reading research and writing) = 84 hours
Total: 150 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment