The module has two main teaching and learning approaches. You will start off with whole group lectures, which are intended to help prepare you for the research project, which you will undertake. The initial Lecture will introduce you to the concept of the project and its relationship to coursework; and choice of research topic. Others will aim to expand on students' developing skills, including writing and structuring a project, and referencing. In addition, workshops using ICT resources such as the computer hub areas will focus on developing student use of online databases for research.

With workshop support, you will select a topic from three research areas. The workshops will seek to develop research skills and aid your planning structuring and writing of your project.

The module leader and the workshop supervisors will provide support for this module. Lectures are recorded on this module and made available to you through a variety of electronic means which you can download to use offline. This allows you to access and digest the lecture materials post-lecture at your own pace, and review and revise the lecture material on a variety of platforms and devices. The supervision sessions provide you with regular opportunities for direct and interactive formative feedback on your progress and understanding.

This module is supported with a site on the e-Learning Portal (Blackboard). This site stores for you the lecture materials, the lecture recordings and supplementary seminar materials. The site is also the springboard for you to access a variety of e-Learning resources including videos, documentaries and radio broadcasts using the “Box of Broadcasts” Library service.

The module’s Online Reading List can be reached through the e-Learning Portal. This list provides you with a single comprehensive list of links from which to access all of the module’s eBooks, news resources and directed learning academic articles.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

• You will be able to identify, select and evaluate sources of legal information and apply this to a project [LO1]

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• You will be able to demonstrate the ability to apply skills of research, analysis and synthesise in the context of a piece of independent work. [LO2]

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• You will display through a research project a developing curiosity about Law [LO3]

Formative feedback
On an on-going basis tutors will give you feedback on exercises you complete and track your progress through the module.

Summative
The module will be assessed through your completed research project on an area of law. [LO1, LO2, LO3]

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This module will equip you with range skills which will support your development as a student who is thirsty to learn about the law and investigate its implications for your and the Society where you live. In using a student-centred approach to teaching you will generate ideas and develop your legal curiosity in the form of a project. You will be encouraged to contribute to discussion within your supervisory sessions and to begin to engage in important levels of critical thinking which are key to developing the skills required to Think like a lawyer.

This module also takes a holistic and reflective approach to your learning, with you generating your own research topic, with the support of supervisory workshops. You will engage with legal sources, stories and research methods and then apply your learning to them. You will be encouraged to reflect on your work and consider how you might apply your newly honed skills beyond this module.

This module is designed to build on your understanding of wider legal issues, gained in previous modules and to provide an opportunity to further enhance your skills and Academic practices. You will use this module to identify and explore key areas of Law, such as Human Rights, Criminal Justice and Equality which sit outside the traditional 7 Foundations of Law and use this to develop the skills which lawyers are expected to demonstrate, such as being able identify, select and evaluate diverse sources of legal information, critically examine and appraise a specific area of Law. Further, in producing a coherent, independent research project you will also demonstrate the ability to apply skills of research, analysis and synthesis and to communicate your findings efficiently and effectively both orally and in writing.