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Please note: First intake for this course is September 2025, for September 2024 entry please visit Law LLB (Hons).

This course lets you explore Law according to your interests and career ambitions.

You have the flexibility to customise your degree by selecting from a range of optional modules that align with your interests and career aspirations.

You'll learn about Law using real-life situations and get to dig deeper into specific topics from inquests and criminal law to human rights and law in popular culture.

As part of this course you will have the opportunity to spend time in our Student Law Office, where you will work with legal professionals, gaining essential skills for your future career. You'll deepen your understanding of specific legal areas and learn how to apply this knowledge in various situations. Plus, you'll refine your analytical, thinking, and communication skills, crucial for the modern workplace, under expert guidance.

This course will equip you with transferable skills and prepare you for a multitude of career paths. For example, if you aspire to become a solicitor or barrister, you can transition seamlessly into one of our M Law pathways after your initial two years. With this additional year of study, you'll graduate with the knowledge and skills required for the next steps in your chosen profession.

Why choose Northumbria to study Law?

Over 92% of students studying Law at Northumbria believed that their course enabled them to develop knowledge and skills needed for their future (NSS, 2024).

Law at Northumbria is ranked 7th in the UK for research power out of 69 submissions (REF, 2021). This represents a rise of 37 places compared to 2014.

Becoming a Solicitor

What is a solicitor?

A solicitor is a qualified legal professional who deals with legal matters which may include complex problems, provides advice to clients, prepares legal documents, and represents them in various legal matters. Unlike barristers, solicitors usually work directly with clients and handle a wide range of legal matters. Solicitors can specialise in a range of areas from commercial law to family and crime, and so much more.

M Law Pathway

If you aspire to be a solicitor, this pathway is a great start. After two years, you can follow the MLaw pathway, if you are eligible. On this pathway, you will have optional modules based on your interests, but will also undertake some core modules aimed at preparing you for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1). You will also have the opportunity to work with real clients in the Student Law Office.

Find out more about MLaw.

Becoming a Barrister

What is a Barrister?

A barrister is a type of lawyer who represents clients in court and provides expert legal advice. They have the skills to handle complex legal arguments and present them persuasively to the judge and jury.

M Law Exempting (Bar Course)

If you aspire to be a barrister, you can follow the MLaw Exempting (Bar Course) pathway, if you are eligible. On this pathway, you will have optional modules based on your interests, but will also undertake some core modules relevant to your qualification. Years 3 and 4 of the programme will cover the topics relevant to your career in court, equipping you for pupillage beyond your degree.

Find out more about MLaw Exempting (Bar Course)

What is the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)?

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the route to qualification as a solicitor from September 2021.

The introduction of SQE means that the assessments required to become a solicitor have been centralised with every aspiring solicitor sitting the same national assessment. Under the SQE route to qualification to become a solicitor it is necessary to:

  • Have a degree or equivalent;
  • Pass the two stages of the SQE national assessment: SQE1 and SQE2;
  • Undertake a two-year period of qualifying work experience; and
  • Meet the character and suitability requirements to become a solicitor.

The SQE Assessment is split into 2 stages: SQE1 and SQE2:

SQE 1 – A test of your ‘functioning legal knowledge’ and application of law based on realistic client scenarios. This stage consists of 2 multiple choice papers of 180 questions each. To progress onto SQE2, the student must pass SQE1.

SQE 2 – A test of your practical legal skills including interviewing (notes and analysis), advocacy, research, drafting, writing, and case analysis.

As mentioned above, ‘Qualifying Work Experience’ (QWE) is also required as part of the SQE route. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) anticipate that student’s gain this experience before sitting SQE2 although this is not a requirement. A minimum of two years full time equivalent is required, and QWE is more flexible than the concept of a period of recognised training under the old route to qualification. Whilst many students may still choose to complete this requirement by undertaking one period of formal training with a law firm, work undertaken with up to 4 organisations can be used to satisfy the QWE requirement. A greater range of work experience can also count now than previously. This new development provides students with more flexibility and gives students an opportunity to widen their knowledge through a greater range of work experience increasing the potential pathways to qualification.

There is a cost of sitting the SQE assessments, in addition to any course tuition fees. The SRA regularly updates information and guidance about how to qualify under the SQE system so keep checking its website.

Dr Victoria Roper, Associate Professor at Northumbria University, answers crucial questions about the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination in the BBC's podcast series; Not All Lawyers Have Law Degrees.

Please note: First intake for this course is September 2025, for September 2024 entry please visit Law LLB (Hons).

This course lets you explore Law according to your interests and career ambitions.

You have the flexibility to customise your degree by selecting from a range of optional modules that align with your interests and career aspirations.

You'll learn about Law using real-life situations and get to dig deeper into specific topics from inquests and criminal law to human rights and law in popular culture.

As part of this course you will have the opportunity to spend time in our Student Law Office, where you will work with legal professionals, gaining essential skills for your future career. You'll deepen your understanding of specific legal areas and learn how to apply this knowledge in various situations. Plus, you'll refine your analytical, thinking, and communication skills, crucial for the modern workplace, under expert guidance.

This course will equip you with transferable skills and prepare you for a multitude of career paths. For example, if you aspire to become a solicitor or barrister, you can transition seamlessly into one of our M Law pathways after your initial two years. With this additional year of study, you'll graduate with the knowledge and skills required for the next steps in your chosen profession.

Why choose Northumbria to study Law?

Over 92% of students studying Law at Northumbria believed that their course enabled them to develop knowledge and skills needed for their future (NSS, 2024).

Law at Northumbria is ranked 7th in the UK for research power out of 69 submissions (REF, 2021). This represents a rise of 37 places compared to 2014.

Becoming a Solicitor

What is a solicitor?

A solicitor is a qualified legal professional who deals with legal matters which may include complex problems, provides advice to clients, prepares legal documents, and represents them in various legal matters. Unlike barristers, solicitors usually work directly with clients and handle a wide range of legal matters. Solicitors can specialise in a range of areas from commercial law to family and crime, and so much more.

M Law Pathway

If you aspire to be a solicitor, this pathway is a great start. After two years, you can follow the MLaw pathway, if you are eligible. On this pathway, you will have optional modules based on your interests, but will also undertake some core modules aimed at preparing you for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1). You will also have the opportunity to work with real clients in the Student Law Office.

Find out more about MLaw.

Becoming a Barrister

What is a Barrister?

A barrister is a type of lawyer who represents clients in court and provides expert legal advice. They have the skills to handle complex legal arguments and present them persuasively to the judge and jury.

M Law Exempting (Bar Course)

If you aspire to be a barrister, you can follow the MLaw Exempting (Bar Course) pathway, if you are eligible. On this pathway, you will have optional modules based on your interests, but will also undertake some core modules relevant to your qualification. Years 3 and 4 of the programme will cover the topics relevant to your career in court, equipping you for pupillage beyond your degree.

Find out more about MLaw Exempting (Bar Course)

What is the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)?

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the route to qualification as a solicitor from September 2021.

The introduction of SQE means that the assessments required to become a solicitor have been centralised with every aspiring solicitor sitting the same national assessment. Under the SQE route to qualification to become a solicitor it is necessary to:

  • Have a degree or equivalent;
  • Pass the two stages of the SQE national assessment: SQE1 and SQE2;
  • Undertake a two-year period of qualifying work experience; and
  • Meet the character and suitability requirements to become a solicitor.

The SQE Assessment is split into 2 stages: SQE1 and SQE2:

SQE 1 – A test of your ‘functioning legal knowledge’ and application of law based on realistic client scenarios. This stage consists of 2 multiple choice papers of 180 questions each. To progress onto SQE2, the student must pass SQE1.

SQE 2 – A test of your practical legal skills including interviewing (notes and analysis), advocacy, research, drafting, writing, and case analysis.

As mentioned above, ‘Qualifying Work Experience’ (QWE) is also required as part of the SQE route. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) anticipate that student’s gain this experience before sitting SQE2 although this is not a requirement. A minimum of two years full time equivalent is required, and QWE is more flexible than the concept of a period of recognised training under the old route to qualification. Whilst many students may still choose to complete this requirement by undertaking one period of formal training with a law firm, work undertaken with up to 4 organisations can be used to satisfy the QWE requirement. A greater range of work experience can also count now than previously. This new development provides students with more flexibility and gives students an opportunity to widen their knowledge through a greater range of work experience increasing the potential pathways to qualification.

There is a cost of sitting the SQE assessments, in addition to any course tuition fees. The SRA regularly updates information and guidance about how to qualify under the SQE system so keep checking its website.

Dr Victoria Roper, Associate Professor at Northumbria University, answers crucial questions about the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination in the BBC's podcast series; Not All Lawyers Have Law Degrees.

Course Information

UCAS Code
M102

Level of Study
Undergraduate

Mode of Study
3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad
1 other options available

Department
Northumbria Law School

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2025

Fees
Fee Information

Modules
Module Information

Learning Law / Hear from our students

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Find out more / Northumbria Law School

Take a look at our Law school and the opportunities available to you.

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

120 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

There are no specific subject requirements for this course.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.

Additional Requirements:

There are no additional requirements for this course.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

 *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications 

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1*: TBC

* Government has yet to announce 25/26 tuition fee levels. As a guide, 24/25 fees were £9,250 per year. 



International Fee in Year 1: TBC


Please see the main Funding Pages for 25/26 scholarship information.

 


ADDITIONAL COSTS

"Whilst many books are made available via the University Library, there are various recommended books for purchase throughout your course, which students may wish to purchase, at an approximate cost of £700: these are against core and optional modules. The Introduction to Comparative and International Criminal Law elective module may include an optional self funded trip to The Hague which costs approximately £250. Whilst the reduced study abroad tuition fee at Northumbria will be covered by your Student Finance package, and you are not expected to pay tuition fees at your host university, you should still consider the additional living costs that you will incur. For students considering the study abroad option they should be aware of the following: Please be aware that all students applying for a study visa in certain countries (mainly USA/Australia, but increasingly for Asia and also Europe, following the UK’s departure from the EU) will need proof of the equivalent of between £7,000 and £13,000 (depending on the destination country) per semester to cover your living expenses prior to your departure from the UK. This can consist of a certified bank statement from your account or your parents, or a stamped & signed memo from your bank confirming the amount currently in your or your parents’ account showing the necessary amount. You can usually use your statement from Student Finance as proof of finance too. Additional Costs Other costs that will need to be considered are: Travel to and from the country, and any other travelling you may wish to do whilst there Passport or Passport renewal Student Visa or Authorisation - varies depending on the country but will cost approx. £200-£250 Medical Insurance - the university you chose may recommend a specific health plan, but expect to pay roughly £250 - £600 depending on the length of time you are abroad and the country you are studying in Personal/Property Insurance Academic Materials (books etc.) – approx. £100 Further information can be found at the link below: https://myportal.northumbria.ac.uk/Help-and-support/Student-Life/Study-Abroad/Applying-to-study-abroad"

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

GD5010 -

Academic Language Skills for Northumbria Law School (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

LW4000 -

Criminal Law (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an understanding of the fundamental principles of criminal law and knowledge of key offences and defences. You will consider the nature, scope and function of the criminal law and be introduced to fundamental concepts concerning the elements of criminal liability. You will study key criminal offences with key defences being introduced at appropriate points. Topics relevant to participation in crime and inchoate offences (assisting and encouraging crime, conspiracy and attempt) will also be covered. You will learn how to recognise and locate relevant criminal law cases and statutes using on-line and print resources and how to comprehend, explain and apply the information so obtained. You will develop the ability to explain and analyse the criminal law and will be able to apply its principles to the facts of given scenarios.

This module covers the following topics:

• Elements of criminal liability (actus reus and mens rea)
• Homicide (murder and manslaughter)
• Non-fatal offences against the person (e.g. assault and battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding or causing grievous bodily harm with intent)
• Sexual offences (e.g. rape and sexual assault)
• Offences under the Theft Act 1968 (e.g. theft, robbery and burglary)
• Criminal Damage
• Accomplice liability
• Inchoate offences (assisting and encouraging crime, conspiracy and attempt)
• Liability in criminal law for omission to act
• Defences (e.g. intoxication, automatism, duress and self-defence)

More information

LW4003 -

Contract Law (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an understanding of the law relating to the formation, operation and termination of contracts. You will, through the study of contract, be introduced to the finding, reading and use of a primary source of law, the law report. As the law of Contract is mainly a case law based subject you will be expected to read law reports and extract rules from this source of law. Such law will then be used to analyse problem and essay questions.

This module covers the following topics:

• An overview of the law of contract, its place in the common law and the operation of the doctrine of judicial precedent, and the factors affecting the development of modern contract law.
• Formation of Contract: agreement, certainty, intention to create legal relations and consideration, including promissory estoppel.
• Contents of contract: express and implied terms; interpretation of contracts; exemption clauses and unfair terms.
• Vitiating factors: misrepresentation, mistake, duress and undue influence.
• The doctrine of privity of contract and the exceptions to the doctrine.
• Discharge of contract: performance, breach, agreement and frustration.
• An outline of the law of remedies for breach of contract.
• A brief outline of the law of restitution.

More information

LW4023 -

English Legal System (20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW4024 -

Academic and Professional Practice I (Core,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW4025 -

Tort Law (20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW4026 -

Academic and Professional Practice II (Core,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW5002 -

Civil Dispute Resolution (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the methods and processes to resolve civil disputes cost-effectively in England and Wales. You will learn about how the contexts in which disputes may arise and the objectives of parties in disputes, and the ways in which those objectives can be met in a cost-effective and proportionate way. Topics include:

? Options for resolving civil disputes: litigation, arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR

? Costs and funding: Methods of funding, costs consequences, possible liability for costs and cost recoveries

? The Civil Procedure Rules, including Practice Directions, Forms and Court Guides (where appropriate)

? Preliminary considerations: limitation, jurisdiction and applicable law

? Pre-action steps and the court’s expectations about pre-action behaviour

? Commencement: the civil court structure, choice of court, issue and service of proceedings

? Responding to proceedings: acknowledgment of service

? Drafting statements of case

? Early termination: judgments in default, summary judgment, Part 36 and other settlement devices

? Evidence: disclosure and inspection, expert witnesses and witnesses of fact

? The court’s case and costs management powers and duties

? Interim applications and interim remedies

? Preparing for trial or settlement.

? Key elements of trial procedure

? Skills:

o Interviewing

o Fact Management

o Case analysis

o Legal drafting

o Problem-solving

More information

LW5004 -

Public Law (20 Credits)

You will develop a critical understanding of the uncodified UK constitution and how it operates. You will critically analyse the doctrines and institutions of the constitution, the checks and balances within the institutions of the state and constitutional change over time. You will develop an understanding of public law within an institutional, national, European and global context. This will build upon the knowledge you have gained in the 1st year module ‘English Legal System and European Union’. You will study both constitutional and administrative law and particularly focus on:

1. Sources and characteristics of the UK constitution
2. Rule of law
3. Parliamentary supremacy
4. Separation of powers
5. Human Rights Act and European Convention on Human Rights
6. Judicial review

More information

LW5006 -

Human Rights and Law Reform (Optional,20 Credits)

On this module you will learn about some of the human rights that are protected by law in England and Wales. You will learn about the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the way in which the Human Rights Act 1998 has affected how human rights are protected. You will achieve detailed knowledge of the law relating to particular topics studied during the course. Topics will be based upon the substantive rights contained in the ECHR but can change to suit topical issues in any given year.

You will also gain an understanding of areas of domestic law that may need reform and develop and justify your own opinion about what reforms are needed while being able to recognise other potential conclusions.

You will further develop your ability to identify gaps in your knowledge and to ask searching questions about human rights law along with the ability to carry out your own research in this area. Through reflecting on your learning, you will learn more about your own learning and enhance your ability to work independently and with others, a key employability skill. This will, among other benefits, help prepare you for working in the Student Law Office at Level 6.

More information

LW5007 -

Property Issues in Practice (Optional,20 Credits)

You will acquire knowledge and understanding of an aspect of Trusts and Land law.

The module is delivered through Problem Based Learning which develops your ability to work independently and collaboratively and to reflect on your learning. It is a type of experiential learning which is a method of learning that allows you to learn by hands-on experience and reflecting on that experience. Thus you will develop skills in reflective learning, preparing you for the Student Law Office at level 6.

The module develops your professional skills and abilities in relation to interviewing skills, your written communication skills including your ability to organise your written material in a logical and coherent manner and your legal research skills. In addition, it develops key employability skills around group work and the ability to work effectively in a team.

The module develops your personal value attributes of intellectual independence by creating opportunities for you to be able to ask and answer cogent questions about aspects of trusts and land law, identify gaps in your knowledge and acquire new knowledge. In addition, the module develops your independent thinking skills and curiosity.

More information

LW5009 -

Inquests (Optional,20 Credits)

On this module you will have the opportunity to learn about the role of the coroner in England and Wales and the law relating to inquests. You will be able to study and examine the historical origins of the inquest as well as consider the present law. The lectures will provide a broad framework, however, within this framework the module is experiential in that you will be required to identify topics for additional and further in depth study and will be supported in researching, evaluating and analysing your findings.

The module is divided into 4 areas of enquiry:

• Historical perspectives- where you will have an opportunity to look at a particular period of the historical development of the coroner’s court/inquests. The module concentrates on the medieval period and the Victorian era but you are encouraged to explore an historical period that interests you.
• Notable inquests- you will investigate a notable inquest in depth (examples could include the death of Mark Duggan, the Hillsborough Inquest, The Marchioness Disaster or the death of Stephen Lawrence)
• Reform- you will consider and discuss the recent reform to the inquest system and in particular the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
• Practice and procedure- you will learn about the process of appearing at an inquest and will have an opportunity to take part in a simulated inquest to put your research into practice.

More information

LW5011 -

Jurisprudence (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about a range of legal and related theories. These areas will involve a range of activities including: reading and understanding key theoretical works, engaging with surrounding academic articles and considering the strengths and weaknesses of these theories.

More information

LW5012 -

Law and Literature (Optional,20 Credits)

Through discussion of a variety of carefully chosen texts you will find new ways to think about law and the institutions of law. You will learn about the varieties of ways in which the relationship between law and literature has been explored by legal academics (law as literature and in literature). Applying these ideas, you will be encouraged at all stages to reflect on your own relationship with the legal system, its function within our society and the values and attributes of the profession.

Topics will include:

• Introduction and orientation. What is law and literature?
• Trials and abuses
• Custom, conflict and dispute resolution
• Play readings
• Justice as ordeal: trials, witches and spies
• Utopias, Dystopias and Terrorism
• Legal ethics: what is a ‘good lawyer’?
• Legal theory in literature lecture – The Name of the Rose
• Kafka: The Trial

More information

LW5013 -

Gender, Sexuality, and Law (Optional,20 Credits)

The module seeks to explore contemporary theories of sexuality and to undertake a selective investigation of the ways in which sexuality has been posed and addressed as a problem in law through socio-legal analysis. You will explore contemporary debates relating to sexuality and gender drawing on theory, but placing them in a ‘real world’ context, enabling you to understand how the law seeks to respond to these issues, and how it might respond in the future.

Each year members of staff will choose the most topical areas to be studied on the syllabus. Some topics will be changed to reflect the current issues of the day. Subjects that might be explored in a year include a selection from: feminist and queer theory, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage/relationship status rights, trans rights, sex work/prostitution, non-normative sexual behaviours (e.g. public sex), pornography, queer space and legal geographies, bareback sex and HIV transmission, employment rights, adoption rights and paedophilia/inter-generational sex.

More information

LW5014 -

Animal Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the law and ethics relating to animals. Within the field of animal welfare, law and ethics are intertwined. It is only by examining our ethical duties towards animals that we can assess whether the existing animal protection laws are sufficient and if not, what law reform is needed. You will examine a number of case studies, for example, the use of animals in agriculture, to illustrate the link between law and ethics. A selection of ethical theories e.g. Singer’s utilitarian theory and Regan’s rights theory, will be critically analysed and applied to the case studies. This will allow for a critical examination of the relevant law to assess whether it is adequate to protect animals. There will be scope for some comparative analysis of animal protection law in other countries. You will also examine the arguments for and against granting legal personhood to some animals. All domestic and captive animals are legal things but there have been a growing number of international cases in recent years challenging their legal status, for example, the case of the chimpanzee, Tommy, in the USA. This debate raises the question of the nature of legal rights and the basis on which we grant them to others.
The module develops your professional skills and abilities in being able to effectively organise and communicate information orally and in writing to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. .
The module develops your personal value attributes of ethics and global awareness as well as intellectual independence and independent thinking. You will be encouraged to ask and answer questions about the law and ethics relating to animals and to challenge the way you think about our use and treatment of animals. The module develops curiosity and challenges you to think critically about our everyday use of animals.

More information

LW5112 -

Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

The Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Semester module is a 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad semester which is taken in Semester 2 of Year 2. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the study abroad is recognised in your transcript as a 60 credit Study Abroad Module The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria).

More information

LW5115 -

A Legal Lens: Seeing The Law Differently (Optional,20 Credits)

This Module encourages you to examine law in an historical, political, social, economic, and cultural context. You will examine how law intersects with diverse disciplines and can be used as a lens to explore and analyse approaches and themes.

More information

LW5116 -

Evidence for the Practitioner (Optional,20 Credits)

There are certain areas of the law of evidence which practising lawyers encounter very frequently (indeed, a practising lawyer will encounter legal professional privilege on a daily basis). This focus of this module will be the practical application of those significant aspects of the law of evidence, including fundamentals such as the burden and standard of proof; legal professional privilege; hearsay (relating to civil and criminal cases); character evidence; and expert opinion evidence. We will also look at the evidential rules around questioning witnesses – an interesting exercise for any student, but of particular use for those who are thinking of a career in advocacy. Further, by engaging with the practical case studies that we will use in the workshops, you will also develop case analysis and fact management skills.

More information

LW5117 -

Law, Film and Popular Culture (Optional,20 Credits)

Popular culture has been defined in the following way: ‘it consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviours, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society. Popular culture is, in the historic use of term, the culture of the people.’
Ray Browne ‘Folklore to Populore’.

Popular culture (documentaries and fictional television series, film, magazines, graphic novels, music, theatre, song, art shows, podcasts, radio etc.,) is a key cause for students to wish to enter the legal profession. Indeed, many students who study law for the first time at university have been schooled in what they know about the law by such media. In this sense, students are already well versed in the subject of this module. They are, in fact, often expert in the ways that portrayals of law and particularly criminal justice have saturated our consciousness.

Given that popular culture has such an influence on the public perception of law, indeed, continues to shape our perception of it, its study is fully justified. Although it has a contemporary feel, the study of popular culture – born of the growth of mass society and the drive to satisfy its needs – can be traced to the 18th century when it was accepted as a feature of developing civilisation. It should be noted too, that over time that perception became negative – ‘mass culture’ came inevitably to mean low culture with associations of commercial manipulation, exploitation and supplication.

Two mileposts in the study of popular culture within universities was the launch of the first (often highly academic) journal on the discipline, the Journal of Popular Culture in 1967. This was followed by the creation of the Center for Popular Culture at Bowling Green University in the US in 1969 with its stated aim: ‘to study thoroughly and seriously those productions, both artistic and commercial, designed for mass consumption. The founders were convinced that this vast body of material encompassed in print, film, television, comics, advertising, and graphics reflects the values, convictions, and patterns of thought and feeling generally dispersed and approved by American society. The organization has grown in scope, depth, and influence.’
Programme of the Twelfth Annual Convention of the Popular Culture Association, Louisville, Kentucky, April 14-18, 1982, p.2.

One question that will pervade our studies is how and why popular culture may be said to construct “narratives” or stories about the law. In pursuit of this and other questions, we will consider critical legal theory, critical race theory, feminist theory, political science and cultural studies to help understand the relationship between law and popular culture.

Through a variety of carefully chosen texts (mainly film and tv but also the written word etc.,) you will find new ways to think about how law and the institutions of law have been presented through and challenged by popular culture and what the implications of this may be – we will also consider the regressive nature of popular culture as a threat to established social norms. Applying these ideas, you will be encouraged at all stages to reflect on your own relationship with the legal system, its function within our society and the values and attributes of the profession.

Upon completion of his module you will be able to show the following (level 5 learning outcomes):

1) A knowledge and critical understanding of the theories, concepts and arguments that have emerged from scholarship in law and popular culture and an ability to analyse and apply them to appropriate texts and in your thinking about law more generally (knowledge PLO 1)
2) An ability to effectively organise and communicate regarding legal theories and literary material orally and in writing (intellectual skills PLO 1)
3) An awareness of the principles, values and ethics of law and legal practice (personal values PLO1)
4) Intellectual independence and an ability to ask cogent questions about law and its underlying justifications (personal values PLO 2)
5) An ability to develop independent thinking skills and curiosity about the ideas that inform law, and recognition of the need to challenge your own and others’ thinking (personal values PLO 3)

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LW5118 -

Regulating Innovation: Law, Technology and Governance (Optional,20 Credits)

This module examines the dynamic issues of regulating emerging technologies within both national and international legal frameworks. In an era of rapid innovation, the module explores the intersection between law and innovation, critically analyzing the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations inherent in governing new technologies. Drawing on a teaching team of internationally recognized academic experts, the module will give you an understanding of the diverse range of emerging technologies such as AI, smart contracts and e-commerce, space technologies and military/law enforcement applications. You will begin to consider the impact of technology on privacy, commercial transactions and evaluate the way in which law manages the transformative capabilities of innovative technology within society. Central to this exploration, is the examination of the current legal landscape and analyzing its adaptability to accommodate these disruptive innovations. The module unpacks the existing regulatory frameworks at national and international levels. It will allow you to evaluate their effectiveness in addressing the ethical, privacy, security, and liability concerns arising from new technologies and introduce possible ideas for reform.

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LW5119 -

Advanced Law of Obligations (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW5120 -

Introduction to Business Law (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW5121 -

Introduction to Criminal Procedure (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW5122 -

Introduction to the Student Law Office (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW5111 -

Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

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LW5113 -

Northumbria Law School Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Northumbria Law School Work Placement Year module is a full year 120 credit module available on degree courses which include a work placement year which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6 (the length of the placement will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks and no more than 52 weeks). You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the training agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the home University (Northumbria).

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LW6000 -

Equity and Trusts (Optional,20 Credits)

This module introduces you to the substantive law of Equity and Trusts. It begins with an historical overview of the development of equity. This is followed by study of the creation of trusts (both express and implied). The next topic is Charitable trusts, an area which lends itself well to critical analysis. Next is a non-charitable purpose trust where students study the situations in which these trusts can be valid. You will then study the powers and duties of trustees, breach of trust and the remedies for this including tracing and equitable remedies. A critical approach is fostered throughout.

The creation of express trusts (including capacity, formalities, certainty and constitution)
Resulting and constructive trusts
Charitable trusts
Non-charitable purpose trusts
Trustees’ powers and duties
Breach of trust
Fiduciary relationships and fiduciary obligations
Tracing and Equitable remedies

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LW6005 -

Dissertation (Optional,40 Credits)

In this module you will research and write a dissertation on a substantive area of law. You will work independently to research your topic under the supervision of a tutor with expertise in the relevant field of study.

In addition to gaining detailed knowledge and understanding of your particular area of research, this module will also advance a number of key skills. You will develop legal research skills enabling you to locate and utilise relevant primary and secondary sources. You will develop the skills necessary to analyse and evaluate legal arguments and engage with critical scholarship in your area of study. You will advance your writing skills, learning to appropriately structure and compose a long form piece of academic writing. You will develop time management skills by engaging in self-directed research, and learn how to identify and respond to relevant legal issues within your allocated topic.

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LW6006 -

Law of the European Union (Optional,20 Credits)

This module aims to provide you with a knowledge and understanding of the European Union legal system, including the Treaties and sources of law; the institutions and law making processes; the enforcement and application of EU law within the domestic legal order; and the fundamental freedom of movement of goods, persons and workers. During this module you will examine relevant provisions of the EU Treaties and EU secondary legislation and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The module will include guidance on locating, researching and interpreting EU legal sources and the application of EU legal rules to solve complex hypothetical problems. You will be expected, during this module, to develop a critical awareness of current issues within EU law and to be able to use a range of primary and secondary sources to support your arguments. The syllabus will include:

• Origins and development of the European Union
• The institutions and law making processes
• Sources of EU law
• The Court of Justice of the European Union and enforcement of EU Law
• The preliminary rulings procedure
• EU law in the domestic legal order
• Free movement of goods
• Free movement of persons
• Free movement of workers
• Limitations on free movement of persons

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LW6007 -

Intellectual Property Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about a range of laws protecting and regulating IP, including copyright, trade marks, passing off, patents, design rights & breach of confidence. These areas will involve a range of activities including: reading and applying cases, legal interpretation, addressing essay questions and problem questions.

Upon completion of his module you will be able to show the following (level 6 learning outcomes):
1) A systematic & in-depth knowledge of key aspects of IP law, demonstrating detailed and coherent understanding
2) An ability to recognise and apply some of the current theories and critical scholarship at the forefront of IP law
3) An ability to consolidate & apply your knowledge of IP law to complex legal problems in order to find solutions
4) An ability to conduct self-directed research including accurate indentification of issues, the retrieval and evaluation of relevant, current information from a range of sources
5) An ability to show curiosity and awareness of the cultural & political impacts of IP laws by exercising your own intiative and ethical judgment

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LW6009 -

Sentencing and Punishment (Optional,20 Credits)

• In this module you will develop a critical understanding of both the theoretical and practical elements of sentencing. You will acquire the knowledge and understanding of the following:

• Theories of punishment – different rationales for punishment such as retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation.

• Custodial sentences – including the legal framework, current practice and the realities of prison life.

• Non-custodial sentences – including the legal framework for fines and community sentences

• A careful examination of the structure and rationale of sentencing guidelines
• assessing the seriousness of an offence
• mitigating and aggravating factors
• Youth justice

You will also be expected to acquire and exercise the following skills during the course of this module:

• The ability to identify and analyse relevant legal issues in practical and complicated scenarios
• The ability to undertake in-depth research
• The ability to undertake detailed study of relevant sources of information, including journal articles, cases and other research materials

No prior knowledge of sentencing theory or law is required. An awareness of criminal procedure is useful but not essential. This module complements other subjects in the first year of your programme, and will also provide you with a thorough understanding of the theoretical and practical issues surrounding this area of law.

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LW6010 -

Commercial Contracts (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will learn about the key issues and consequences relevant to conducting business successfully in the modern world. You will learn how commercial contracts can be used as a risk management tool, how to exercise professional judgement and you will become more commercially aware. You will also learn about how businesses use marketing arrangements to increase sales and how competition law impacts on these arrangements. As you examine commercial contracts in realistic practical contexts you will learn about drafting issues and consequences in standard form contracts, how to allocate risk and you will develop an awareness of current issues and developments in the commercial environment.

Topics include:
• commercial sales of goods contracts;
• passing of property and allocation of risk in commercial contracts;
• express terms, implied terms and exclusion clauses;
• performance of the contract;
• consequences of breach of contract,
• agency and the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993
• distribution agreements; and
• EU competition law – Article 101 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union

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LW6011 -

Medical Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of medical law in England and Wales. The module will examine the legal framework that governs medical treatment and will focus on statute and common law. In addition the module will consider key ethical issues raised by these matters, including the influence of professional guidance in this area.

This module covers the following topics:
1. Relationship between law and ethics; resolution of disputes other than by way of clinical negligence, for example contract and judicial review
2. Clinical Negligence
3. Medical Confidentiality.
4. Consent to medical treatment.
5. The Beginning of Life.
(a) contraception
(b) pre-natal negligence
6. Abortion
7. The End of Life.
(a) Neonaticide;
(b) Euthanasia and assisted suicide
(c) Treatment withdrawal

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LW6012 -

Family Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the range of laws, case law and practice developed in England and Wales to deal with matters arising from the breakdown of family relationships, including divorce, dissolution of a civil partnership, financial relief remedies, child maintenance, children, domestic abuse and cohabitees.
These areas will involve a range of activities including : reading, interpreting and applying statute and case law to practical scenarios, drafting court documents and developing writing skills in essay style questions.

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LW6014 -

Introduction to Comparative and International Criminal Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop critical understanding of substantive criminal law of the major legal systems of the world. You will learn different methods and techniques of comparative law and its significance to the development of domestic criminal law as well as to the work of the International Criminal Tribunals, namely, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The module will take a critical look at the elements of crimes, individual criminal responsibility, and modes of participation from comparative and international criminal law perspectives.

This module covers the following topics:

• Introduction to Comparative Criminal Law;
• Comparative Analysis of Mens Rea Standards in Common Legal Systems, Romano/Germanic Legal Systems, Islamic Legal Traditions and International Criminal Law
• Comparative Analysis of Different Modes of Participation in Criminal Offences with Particular Focus on Joint Criminal Enterprise in Common Law Systems and Co-Perpetration & the Control Over the Crime Theory in German Criminal Law and their Application by International Criminal Courts and Tribunals
• Elements of International Crimes, i.e. Genocide and Crimes against Humanity
• General Principles of Law in the Jurisprudence of the ICTY, ICTR and ICC: Examining the Relevant Case Law of these Tribunals and the Techniques adopted by International Judges in their Search of General Principles of Law Derived from National Legal Systems of the World

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LW6017 -

Employment Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop knowledge and understanding of the laws governing the relationship between a person, the employee, who works for another person, the employer. Working relationships come in many different guises, so drawing a precise boundary around the subject can be difficult but you will engage with some of the current theories and emerging themes surrounding the modern employment relationship. In this module you will learn about the following:-

The Scope of Employment Law (and what is Labour Law?)
• Why do we have employment law?
• Sources of law
• Current themes/ theories in employment law

The scope of labour law and the employment relationship
• The organising concepts used in English employment law
• Non-standard working relationships
• The contract of employment

Equality
• Core concepts
• Protected characteristics
• Application and enforcement

Pay
• Contractual remuneration
• National minimum wage
• Equal pay

Job security
• Termination of the employment relationship
• Unfair dismissal
• Wrongful dismissal
Business Re-organisations
• Redundancy
• Business transfers and changes of ownership

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LW6020 -

Company Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an in depth knowledge and understanding of key aspects of company law in England and Wales. You will learn about the most important types of companies: private companies that are privately owned and public companies that can offer their shares to the general public and may be listed on a stock exchange. You will develop a critical awareness of current issues and an understanding of the perspectives and wider debates about the nature of company law.
This module covers the following topics:
• types and classification of companies;
• incorporation and the nature of corporate personality;
• the role of directors in managing a company and directors’ duties;
• financing: raising capital by issuing shares and the role and rights of shareholders;
• the corporate governance debate and public companies; and
• company insolvency.
In terms of skills development, you will read and apply company law cases, interpret statutory provisions and consider some of the relevant academic articles in this area.

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LW6022 -

International Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about international law - the law of nations. Beginning with an overview of the basics of international law - treaties and customary law, state responsibility, and jurisdiction - you will then progress through a series of case studies (on diplomatic immunities, the use of force, the law of armed conflict, international criminal law, international human rights law, and international economic law) to develop your knowledge of how those basic principles are applied. You will also develop an understanding of the international legal elements of current international events through these case studies.

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LW6025 -

Sports Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the theory, law and practice of sports law in England and Wales (including EU law and the World Anti-Doping Code). The module builds on knowledge gathered in the compulsory subjects of Contract, EU law, Criminal Law and Tort but also introduces students to other legal disciplines such as Employment Law. You will study the role of consent as a defence to what would otherwise be criminal liability for injuries incurred in the context of contact sports (such as football, ice hockey and rugby) and combat sports. You will study the causes and implications of the major 20th century sports stadium disasters including Valley Parade and Hillsborough. You will learn about the law applicable to football hooligans and consider the compatibility of some of these measures with the Human Rights Act. You will study the civil liability of (i) sports participants to each other and (ii) match officials, sports club owners, event organisers and governing bodies to sports participants, spectators and people living in close proximity to sports venues, which will engage your knowledge of negligence, nuisance and occupiers’ liability. You will examine the impact of EU Law on sport (in particular the right of free movement of workers in football and challenges to nationality quotas), the role of the Equality Act 2010 in tackling discrimination in sport, and the legal implications of doping in sport. Although the module has a UK focus it has a global scope and reference will be made to important developments overseas.

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LW6026 -

Legal History (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, through the study of certain selected themes, you will develop a critical awareness of the role of law in society. You will be able to see in an historical context how social conditions are reflected in the development of the law, legal institutions, and perceptions of the law. . The module explores the interplay between law and society rather than substantive black-letter law, but you may be required to consider selected statutory material and cases. You will have an opportunity to study legal history from both an internal and an external perspective.

The module considers English legal history in the national context. In addition, there is scope to examine the local legal history of the north-east of England, particularly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
From the long list of possible themes each year, we choose between four and six for study. There are connections between these themes.

We will also consider what we mean by history, legal history, and historiography.

Trade, Commerce and Business

In this theme we explore trade, commerce, and business in its legal historical context in specific historical periods. We may consider trade/business organisations, the role of the state in trade and business, regulation of trade and business, business disputes and labour history. We may also examine significant frauds, such as nineteenth century company frauds and investment manias.

Crime and Punishment

We will explore crime in specific historical periods. This theme may include: crime and society; public order; law enforcement; the criminal trial process; forms of punishment (including judicial and community punishments) and theories of punishment; rates of offending; crime reporting; and the role of the criminal law in maintaining the norms of social behaviour.
We may also examine specific types of criminal offence such as homicide, theft, fraud, larceny and treason.

Legal Actors

In this theme we will examine the role of specific legal actors in certain historical periods. For example: judges, magistrates, juries, police, barristers (including the introduction of barristers within a wider adversarial setting), solicitors, court staff, coroners, witnesses, regulators, commissioners and experts. In this theme we may also examine the theories around trials – including dispute resolution, the role of the state, and adversarialism.

The theme of legal actors will interconnect and build upon other themes, particularly crime and punishment, the trial process, and legal personhood.

Legal Personhood

This theme centres on questions of status and agency. We consider:
• Who counts as a ‘legal subject’?
• What characteristics limit access to or participation in the law?
• How do ideas of justice and responsibility interact with contemporary societal norms?

Within this theme we may consider

1. Age: issues of competence as witnesses and culpability as offenders for children; children in work.
2. Sex: women as victims and perpetrators of criminal offences; changing treatment of female criminality by the secular and the church courts; impact of marriage on women's legal status; witchcraft; women working in business/trade; and women’s role and participation in the law and democracy.
3. Freedom and class: the ideal subject (a property-owning adult male) does not encompass slaves, serfs and outlaws who have a particular experience of the legal system, including as victims and perpetrators of criminal offences.

Ownership, Government/State organisations and Constitutional Developments

In this theme we will examine property ownership and economic power and the ways in which they impact on the legal system. We will also examine the role of government and state organisations in the law, including in its implementation, enforcement and apparent suppression of organisations challenging the status quo.

We may consider specific constitutional developments such as the Bill of Rights; and the struggle between the Crown, the Common Law and Parliament.

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LW6028 -

International Family Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will gain an analytical and practical insight into the rationale and jurisprudence of family law as it affects families and individuals across Europe and the rest of the world. Specifically, the module will examine how the law regulates family law issues with an international dimension, how the law in England and Wales compares with the law in other jurisdictions and how international laws and treaties relating to family law are implemented, interpreted and enforced.

The issues that will be explored include:

• Choice of law and jurisdiction
• International child abduction
• Recognition and enforcement of Judgments in other jurisdictions
• Female Genital Mutilation
• Forced Marriage
• Marriage validity and religious marriage contracts

By participating in this module, you will also be encouraged to prepare blog articles for the module tutors’ blog in this area, A Family Affair, which can be accessed at: https://afamilyaffairsite.wordpress.com. You will also be encouraged to attend regular documentary screenings around wider international family law issues and participate in discussion around these issues. The screenings will examine topics such as honour based violence, traditional harmful practices, and culturally specific forms of domestic violence. Participation in these non-compulsory activities will allow you to develop your professional skills and participate in wider debates about the issues raised in the module.

No prior knowledge of family law or international law will be required. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme, including family law, child care and international human rights law.

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LW6036 -

The Law of Outer Space (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed understanding of the way in which space exploration is governed on a national and international level. The module will examine the governance of traditional space activity: the development of satellite communications, military activity in space, the use of interplanetary probes to gain scientific data and also human spaceflight. You will also evaluate legal responses to the challenges posed by new developments such as space tourism, space mining and the increased environmental strain on the space environment.

The issues that will be explored include:

• Introducing International Space Law; The Outer Space Treaty & follow up treaties
• Astropolitics, International Relations and Policy in Space
• The Institutions of Space Administration
• Environmental Space Law
• The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
• Planetary Protection
• Astronauts and Space Travellers and Tourism
• Space Mining
• National Space Legislation
• Military Space Activity
You will be encouraged to immerse yourself in the space environment and formative assessment will be by means of preparing blog posts for the module tutor’s blog The Legal Spaceman. There are also external blogs which encourage student submissions. There will be guest lectures by experts in the field of space exploration. Study on this module is predicated on an interest in wider issues surrounding space exploration.

No prior knowledge of space law will be required. An awareness of international law will be useful but is not essential. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme, and will also provide you with policy and international relations perspectives.

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LW6042 -

Maritime Law (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed understanding of the way in which maritime trade and commerce is governed on a national and international level, from a UK perspective.

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of maritime law. You will acquire the knowledge and understanding of the following:

• English maritime and shipping law
• The UK’s maritime obligations under treaties and conventions
• National and international maritime organisations
• International trade and shipping documentation (e.g. bills of lading and letters of indemnity)
• Charterparties (a maritime contract between a shipowner and a "charterer" for the hire of either a ship for the carriage of passengers or cargo)
• The law relating to collisions, salvage, limitation of liability and safe port
• Litigation, arbitration and ADR in a maritime context, including jurisdiction and choice of law

You will also be expected to acquire and exercise the following skills during the course of this module:

• The ability to identify and analyse relevant legal issues in practical and complicated scenarios
• The ability to undertake in-depth research
• The ability to undertake detailed study of relevant sources of information, including journal articles, cases and other research materials

There will be guest lectures delivered by partners from a leading shipping law firm, based in Newcastle, and the opportunity to visit the Port of Tyne for a guided tour.

No prior knowledge of maritime law is required. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme, and will also provide you with commercial and international law perspectives.

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LW6050 -

Fashion Law (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed multi-disciplinary understanding of the way in which the fashion industry is supported and shaped by the law, and is responding to current and future challenges. This module sits on three pillars of learning. You will explore and evaluate the issues under each pillar. The first pillar is multi-disciplinary and considers the role of the laws of intellectual property in the context of portfolio management, contracting with stakeholders in the industry such as suppliers and influencers and regulation. The second pillar allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of soft laws such as the role of corporate social responsibility and corporate governance. The third pillar explores industry challenges and responses to current issues such as fast fashion, sustainability and technology. You will be encouraged to immerse yourself in the world of fashion and formative assessment will be through workshops and taking an active part in Blackboard discussion forums.

No prior knowledge is required. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme and does not overlap with the current Intellectual Property module.

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LW6054 -

Student Law Office: Advice Clinic (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6055 -

Environment and Sustainability (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6056 -

Aviation Law (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6057 -

Disability Law (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6058 -

Law in the Community (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6059 -

Consumer Law (Optional,20 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6060 -

Student Law Office: Advice and Representation (Optional,40 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6061 -

Policy and Law Reform Clinic (Optional,40 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

LW6062 -

Street Law: Empowering Communities (Optional,40 Credits)

There is currently no summary for this module.

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

GD5010 -

Academic Language Skills for Northumbria Law School (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

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LW4000 -

Criminal Law (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an understanding of the fundamental principles of criminal law and knowledge of key offences and defences. You will consider the nature, scope and function of the criminal law and be introduced to fundamental concepts concerning the elements of criminal liability. You will study key criminal offences with key defences being introduced at appropriate points. Topics relevant to participation in crime and inchoate offences (assisting and encouraging crime, conspiracy and attempt) will also be covered. You will learn how to recognise and locate relevant criminal law cases and statutes using on-line and print resources and how to comprehend, explain and apply the information so obtained. You will develop the ability to explain and analyse the criminal law and will be able to apply its principles to the facts of given scenarios.

This module covers the following topics:

• Elements of criminal liability (actus reus and mens rea)
• Homicide (murder and manslaughter)
• Non-fatal offences against the person (e.g. assault and battery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding or causing grievous bodily harm with intent)
• Sexual offences (e.g. rape and sexual assault)
• Offences under the Theft Act 1968 (e.g. theft, robbery and burglary)
• Criminal Damage
• Accomplice liability
• Inchoate offences (assisting and encouraging crime, conspiracy and attempt)
• Liability in criminal law for omission to act
• Defences (e.g. intoxication, automatism, duress and self-defence)

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LW4003 -

Contract Law (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an understanding of the law relating to the formation, operation and termination of contracts. You will, through the study of contract, be introduced to the finding, reading and use of a primary source of law, the law report. As the law of Contract is mainly a case law based subject you will be expected to read law reports and extract rules from this source of law. Such law will then be used to analyse problem and essay questions.

This module covers the following topics:

• An overview of the law of contract, its place in the common law and the operation of the doctrine of judicial precedent, and the factors affecting the development of modern contract law.
• Formation of Contract: agreement, certainty, intention to create legal relations and consideration, including promissory estoppel.
• Contents of contract: express and implied terms; interpretation of contracts; exemption clauses and unfair terms.
• Vitiating factors: misrepresentation, mistake, duress and undue influence.
• The doctrine of privity of contract and the exceptions to the doctrine.
• Discharge of contract: performance, breach, agreement and frustration.
• An outline of the law of remedies for breach of contract.
• A brief outline of the law of restitution.

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LW4023 -

English Legal System (20 Credits)

This foundational module aims to provide you with a sound practical understanding of the English legal system, including its origins, institutions, processes and actors. All key sources of English law are explained and you will be trained in their retrieval and analysis. Particular attention is given to the techniques of interpreting statutes and legal cases and an understanding of how to use legal sources to substantiate legal arguments. You will have an opportunity to undertake independent research into elements of the English Legal System.

This module covers the following topics:
• The basic principles of English law and the English Legal System;
• The role of law-making bodies such as Parliament;
• The role of the judiciary;
• Statutory interpretation and judicial precedent;
• The acquisition of legal research skills such as locating legal sources, effective communication and presentation and legal research

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LW4024 -

Academic and Professional Practice I (Core,20 Credits)

This module will introduce you to the key skills required to be a successful law student and graduate such as legal writing, legal research and case analysis. The module focuses on supporting you in making a successful transition to undergraduate study of law. The module is designed not only to assist you in developing legal skills but also to understand why such skills are important in the context of your wider studies. You will also explore how these skills are transferrable to the graduate employment market. You will learn where to look for graduate opportunities, how to make an application and how to successfully navigate the recruitment process such as interviews, assessment centres and psychometric testing.

The module will require you to engage with a range of tasks designed to help you develop your academic and employability skills, and to understand their importance to both your undergraduate study and your future professional career.

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LW4025 -

Tort Law (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of Tort Law in England and Wales. Tort Law concerns the circumstances in which a person may be liable to provide a remedy to another for the consequences of a civil wrong (other than a breach of contract). You will learn about why and how the law has evolved to create obligations in Tort Law, the shape and extent of those responsibilities and the remedies available for failure to meet those obligations. An indicative list of topics include:

An introduction to the nature and function of Tort Law

Trespass to the person – personal rights to freedom from intentional interference with bodily integrity

Negligence:

Duty of care – when a duty of care is owed to another, and the scope of that duty

Breach of the duty of care – the standard of care expected, and determining when it is met

Causation and remoteness – the principles determining the extent of responsibility for loss

Defences – full and partial defences available

Occupiers’ liability to persons on their premises (lawfully and otherwise)

Vicarious liability – when a person may be responsible in Tort law for the actions of another person

Remedies

You will develop knowledge and critical understanding of Tort Law in these aspects, reading and applying cases, statutes and other material to answer problem questions and essay questions.

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LW4026 -

Academic and Professional Practice II (Core,20 Credits)

You will build upon and continue to develop the key skills required to be a successful law student and graduate such as legal writing, legal research and case analysis. The module focuses on supporting you in making a successful transition to undergraduate study of law. The module is designed not only to assist you in developing legal skills but also to understand why such skills are important in the context of your wider studies. You will also explore how these skills are transferrable to the graduate employment market. You will learn where to look for graduate opportunities, how to make an application and how to successfully navigate the recruitment process such as interviews, assessment centres and psychometric testing.

The module will require you to engage with a range of tasks designed to help you develop your academic and employability skills, and to understand their importance to both your undergraduate study and your future professional career.

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LW5002 -

Civil Dispute Resolution (20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the methods and processes to resolve civil disputes cost-effectively in England and Wales. You will learn about how the contexts in which disputes may arise and the objectives of parties in disputes, and the ways in which those objectives can be met in a cost-effective and proportionate way. Topics include:

? Options for resolving civil disputes: litigation, arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR

? Costs and funding: Methods of funding, costs consequences, possible liability for costs and cost recoveries

? The Civil Procedure Rules, including Practice Directions, Forms and Court Guides (where appropriate)

? Preliminary considerations: limitation, jurisdiction and applicable law

? Pre-action steps and the court’s expectations about pre-action behaviour

? Commencement: the civil court structure, choice of court, issue and service of proceedings

? Responding to proceedings: acknowledgment of service

? Drafting statements of case

? Early termination: judgments in default, summary judgment, Part 36 and other settlement devices

? Evidence: disclosure and inspection, expert witnesses and witnesses of fact

? The court’s case and costs management powers and duties

? Interim applications and interim remedies

? Preparing for trial or settlement.

? Key elements of trial procedure

? Skills:

o Interviewing

o Fact Management

o Case analysis

o Legal drafting

o Problem-solving

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LW5004 -

Public Law (20 Credits)

You will develop a critical understanding of the uncodified UK constitution and how it operates. You will critically analyse the doctrines and institutions of the constitution, the checks and balances within the institutions of the state and constitutional change over time. You will develop an understanding of public law within an institutional, national, European and global context. This will build upon the knowledge you have gained in the 1st year module ‘English Legal System and European Union’. You will study both constitutional and administrative law and particularly focus on:

1. Sources and characteristics of the UK constitution
2. Rule of law
3. Parliamentary supremacy
4. Separation of powers
5. Human Rights Act and European Convention on Human Rights
6. Judicial review

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LW5006 -

Human Rights and Law Reform (Optional,20 Credits)

On this module you will learn about some of the human rights that are protected by law in England and Wales. You will learn about the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the way in which the Human Rights Act 1998 has affected how human rights are protected. You will achieve detailed knowledge of the law relating to particular topics studied during the course. Topics will be based upon the substantive rights contained in the ECHR but can change to suit topical issues in any given year.

You will also gain an understanding of areas of domestic law that may need reform and develop and justify your own opinion about what reforms are needed while being able to recognise other potential conclusions.

You will further develop your ability to identify gaps in your knowledge and to ask searching questions about human rights law along with the ability to carry out your own research in this area. Through reflecting on your learning, you will learn more about your own learning and enhance your ability to work independently and with others, a key employability skill. This will, among other benefits, help prepare you for working in the Student Law Office at Level 6.

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LW5007 -

Property Issues in Practice (Optional,20 Credits)

You will acquire knowledge and understanding of an aspect of Trusts and Land law.

The module is delivered through Problem Based Learning which develops your ability to work independently and collaboratively and to reflect on your learning. It is a type of experiential learning which is a method of learning that allows you to learn by hands-on experience and reflecting on that experience. Thus you will develop skills in reflective learning, preparing you for the Student Law Office at level 6.

The module develops your professional skills and abilities in relation to interviewing skills, your written communication skills including your ability to organise your written material in a logical and coherent manner and your legal research skills. In addition, it develops key employability skills around group work and the ability to work effectively in a team.

The module develops your personal value attributes of intellectual independence by creating opportunities for you to be able to ask and answer cogent questions about aspects of trusts and land law, identify gaps in your knowledge and acquire new knowledge. In addition, the module develops your independent thinking skills and curiosity.

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LW5009 -

Inquests (Optional,20 Credits)

On this module you will have the opportunity to learn about the role of the coroner in England and Wales and the law relating to inquests. You will be able to study and examine the historical origins of the inquest as well as consider the present law. The lectures will provide a broad framework, however, within this framework the module is experiential in that you will be required to identify topics for additional and further in depth study and will be supported in researching, evaluating and analysing your findings.

The module is divided into 4 areas of enquiry:

• Historical perspectives- where you will have an opportunity to look at a particular period of the historical development of the coroner’s court/inquests. The module concentrates on the medieval period and the Victorian era but you are encouraged to explore an historical period that interests you.
• Notable inquests- you will investigate a notable inquest in depth (examples could include the death of Mark Duggan, the Hillsborough Inquest, The Marchioness Disaster or the death of Stephen Lawrence)
• Reform- you will consider and discuss the recent reform to the inquest system and in particular the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
• Practice and procedure- you will learn about the process of appearing at an inquest and will have an opportunity to take part in a simulated inquest to put your research into practice.

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LW5011 -

Jurisprudence (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about a range of legal and related theories. These areas will involve a range of activities including: reading and understanding key theoretical works, engaging with surrounding academic articles and considering the strengths and weaknesses of these theories.

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LW5012 -

Law and Literature (Optional,20 Credits)

Through discussion of a variety of carefully chosen texts you will find new ways to think about law and the institutions of law. You will learn about the varieties of ways in which the relationship between law and literature has been explored by legal academics (law as literature and in literature). Applying these ideas, you will be encouraged at all stages to reflect on your own relationship with the legal system, its function within our society and the values and attributes of the profession.

Topics will include:

• Introduction and orientation. What is law and literature?
• Trials and abuses
• Custom, conflict and dispute resolution
• Play readings
• Justice as ordeal: trials, witches and spies
• Utopias, Dystopias and Terrorism
• Legal ethics: what is a ‘good lawyer’?
• Legal theory in literature lecture – The Name of the Rose
• Kafka: The Trial

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LW5013 -

Gender, Sexuality, and Law (Optional,20 Credits)

The module seeks to explore contemporary theories of sexuality and to undertake a selective investigation of the ways in which sexuality has been posed and addressed as a problem in law through socio-legal analysis. You will explore contemporary debates relating to sexuality and gender drawing on theory, but placing them in a ‘real world’ context, enabling you to understand how the law seeks to respond to these issues, and how it might respond in the future.

Each year members of staff will choose the most topical areas to be studied on the syllabus. Some topics will be changed to reflect the current issues of the day. Subjects that might be explored in a year include a selection from: feminist and queer theory, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage/relationship status rights, trans rights, sex work/prostitution, non-normative sexual behaviours (e.g. public sex), pornography, queer space and legal geographies, bareback sex and HIV transmission, employment rights, adoption rights and paedophilia/inter-generational sex.

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LW5014 -

Animal Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the law and ethics relating to animals. Within the field of animal welfare, law and ethics are intertwined. It is only by examining our ethical duties towards animals that we can assess whether the existing animal protection laws are sufficient and if not, what law reform is needed. You will examine a number of case studies, for example, the use of animals in agriculture, to illustrate the link between law and ethics. A selection of ethical theories e.g. Singer’s utilitarian theory and Regan’s rights theory, will be critically analysed and applied to the case studies. This will allow for a critical examination of the relevant law to assess whether it is adequate to protect animals. There will be scope for some comparative analysis of animal protection law in other countries. You will also examine the arguments for and against granting legal personhood to some animals. All domestic and captive animals are legal things but there have been a growing number of international cases in recent years challenging their legal status, for example, the case of the chimpanzee, Tommy, in the USA. This debate raises the question of the nature of legal rights and the basis on which we grant them to others.
The module develops your professional skills and abilities in being able to effectively organise and communicate information orally and in writing to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. .
The module develops your personal value attributes of ethics and global awareness as well as intellectual independence and independent thinking. You will be encouraged to ask and answer questions about the law and ethics relating to animals and to challenge the way you think about our use and treatment of animals. The module develops curiosity and challenges you to think critically about our everyday use of animals.

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LW5112 -

Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

The Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Semester module is a 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad semester which is taken in Semester 2 of Year 2. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the study abroad is recognised in your transcript as a 60 credit Study Abroad Module The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria).

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LW5115 -

A Legal Lens: Seeing The Law Differently (Optional,20 Credits)

This Module encourages you to examine law in an historical, political, social, economic, and cultural context. You will examine how law intersects with diverse disciplines and can be used as a lens to explore and analyse approaches and themes.

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LW5116 -

Evidence for the Practitioner (Optional,20 Credits)

There are certain areas of the law of evidence which practising lawyers encounter very frequently (indeed, a practising lawyer will encounter legal professional privilege on a daily basis). This focus of this module will be the practical application of those significant aspects of the law of evidence, including fundamentals such as the burden and standard of proof; legal professional privilege; hearsay (relating to civil and criminal cases); character evidence; and expert opinion evidence. We will also look at the evidential rules around questioning witnesses – an interesting exercise for any student, but of particular use for those who are thinking of a career in advocacy. Further, by engaging with the practical case studies that we will use in the workshops, you will also develop case analysis and fact management skills.

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LW5117 -

Law, Film and Popular Culture (Optional,20 Credits)

Popular culture has been defined in the following way: ‘it consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviours, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society. Popular culture is, in the historic use of term, the culture of the people.’
Ray Browne ‘Folklore to Populore’.

Popular culture (documentaries and fictional television series, film, magazines, graphic novels, music, theatre, song, art shows, podcasts, radio etc.,) is a key cause for students to wish to enter the legal profession. Indeed, many students who study law for the first time at university have been schooled in what they know about the law by such media. In this sense, students are already well versed in the subject of this module. They are, in fact, often expert in the ways that portrayals of law and particularly criminal justice have saturated our consciousness.

Given that popular culture has such an influence on the public perception of law, indeed, continues to shape our perception of it, its study is fully justified. Although it has a contemporary feel, the study of popular culture – born of the growth of mass society and the drive to satisfy its needs – can be traced to the 18th century when it was accepted as a feature of developing civilisation. It should be noted too, that over time that perception became negative – ‘mass culture’ came inevitably to mean low culture with associations of commercial manipulation, exploitation and supplication.

Two mileposts in the study of popular culture within universities was the launch of the first (often highly academic) journal on the discipline, the Journal of Popular Culture in 1967. This was followed by the creation of the Center for Popular Culture at Bowling Green University in the US in 1969 with its stated aim: ‘to study thoroughly and seriously those productions, both artistic and commercial, designed for mass consumption. The founders were convinced that this vast body of material encompassed in print, film, television, comics, advertising, and graphics reflects the values, convictions, and patterns of thought and feeling generally dispersed and approved by American society. The organization has grown in scope, depth, and influence.’
Programme of the Twelfth Annual Convention of the Popular Culture Association, Louisville, Kentucky, April 14-18, 1982, p.2.

One question that will pervade our studies is how and why popular culture may be said to construct “narratives” or stories about the law. In pursuit of this and other questions, we will consider critical legal theory, critical race theory, feminist theory, political science and cultural studies to help understand the relationship between law and popular culture.

Through a variety of carefully chosen texts (mainly film and tv but also the written word etc.,) you will find new ways to think about how law and the institutions of law have been presented through and challenged by popular culture and what the implications of this may be – we will also consider the regressive nature of popular culture as a threat to established social norms. Applying these ideas, you will be encouraged at all stages to reflect on your own relationship with the legal system, its function within our society and the values and attributes of the profession.

Upon completion of his module you will be able to show the following (level 5 learning outcomes):

1) A knowledge and critical understanding of the theories, concepts and arguments that have emerged from scholarship in law and popular culture and an ability to analyse and apply them to appropriate texts and in your thinking about law more generally (knowledge PLO 1)
2) An ability to effectively organise and communicate regarding legal theories and literary material orally and in writing (intellectual skills PLO 1)
3) An awareness of the principles, values and ethics of law and legal practice (personal values PLO1)
4) Intellectual independence and an ability to ask cogent questions about law and its underlying justifications (personal values PLO 2)
5) An ability to develop independent thinking skills and curiosity about the ideas that inform law, and recognition of the need to challenge your own and others’ thinking (personal values PLO 3)

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LW5118 -

Regulating Innovation: Law, Technology and Governance (Optional,20 Credits)

This module examines the dynamic issues of regulating emerging technologies within both national and international legal frameworks. In an era of rapid innovation, the module explores the intersection between law and innovation, critically analyzing the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations inherent in governing new technologies. Drawing on a teaching team of internationally recognized academic experts, the module will give you an understanding of the diverse range of emerging technologies such as AI, smart contracts and e-commerce, space technologies and military/law enforcement applications. You will begin to consider the impact of technology on privacy, commercial transactions and evaluate the way in which law manages the transformative capabilities of innovative technology within society. Central to this exploration, is the examination of the current legal landscape and analyzing its adaptability to accommodate these disruptive innovations. The module unpacks the existing regulatory frameworks at national and international levels. It will allow you to evaluate their effectiveness in addressing the ethical, privacy, security, and liability concerns arising from new technologies and introduce possible ideas for reform.

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LW5119 -

Advanced Law of Obligations (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the application of principles of Tort Law, Contract Law, and Restitution in England and Wales. They all concern the circumstances in which someone may be liable to provide a remedy to another for the consequences breaching an obligation. You will learn about why and how the law has evolved to create obligations in each of these subjects, and the form and extent of the remedies available for failing to meet those obligations.



The topics covered may evolve as decisions of the courts develop and apply principles; and to align with teaching and research interests of the teaching team. An indicative list of topics includes:



An overview of the structure of the law of obligations



An introduction and outline of the law of Restitution



Contract interpretation



Misrepresentation



Remedies for breach of contract.



The remedy of quantum meruit in the context of failed contractual negotiations



Pure economic loss in negligence arising from a negligent act or misstatement.



Psychiatric harm caused by negligence.



Trespass to Land.



Liability of occupiers of premises to persons injured on those premises.



Nuisance (private and public)



The rule in Rylands v Fletcher; and



Remedies in Tort Law.



You will develop knowledge and critical understanding of the law in these aspects, reading and applying cases, statutes and other material to answer problem questions and essay questions.

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LW5120 -

Introduction to Business Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will be introduced to several important elements of Business Law. This will include learning about the different types of business organisation, the different implications of choosing one form of business organisation instead of another and the different ways in which these organisations operate. In particular you will learn about the differences between sole traders, partnerships, limited liability partnerships and private and public companies. In relation to companies, you will learn about the legal rights and obligations of shareholders and directors and will be introduced to different theories about the function of company law. You will be introduced to the basic principles of business tax and business accounts.

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LW5121 -

Introduction to Criminal Procedure (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an understanding of criminal procedure in England and Wales. You will explore various stages of the criminal process including arrest and detention in the police station, court procedures and sentencing. You will develop your understanding of the role of key actors in the criminal justice system including solicitors, barristers and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). You will explore the role of the courts in criminal proceedings, including the distinction between the magistrate’s court and the crown court. You will be introduced to core procedural and evidential concepts (including the burden and standard of proof in criminal proceedings) which underpin criminal proceedings in England and Wales.



In this module you will learn how to recognise and locate relevant subject specific resources (including cases, statutes, procedural rules and practice directions) using on-line and print resources and how to comprehend, explain and apply the information so obtained to given factual scenarios. You will develop basic fact management skills, determining which information in the documents provided is relevant to solving the problems with which you are presented. Throughout the module you will have the opportunity to explore key interventions by criminal justice professionals, examples of which include (but are not limited to) representing a client in the police station, making a bail application and making submissions at a sentencing hearing.

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LW5122 -

Introduction to the Student Law Office (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, through simulated experiences, you will develop a range of key lawyering skills, as well as effective workplace skills and enhancing your own interpersonal skills. These skills will include interviewing, practical legal research and legal writing. The module prepares you for legal work with real clients in Northumbria Law School’s award-winning Student Law Office in your third year. You must successfully pass this module to work in the Student Law Office in your third year.



You will also continue to develop reflective practice through reflection on your learning and development within the module.

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LW5111 -

Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Northumbria Law School Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). Your study abroad year will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will not count towards your final degree classification but, if you pass, it is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”.

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LW5113 -

Northumbria Law School Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Northumbria Law School Work Placement Year module is a full year 120 credit module available on degree courses which include a work placement year which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6 (the length of the placement will be determined by your programme but it can be no less than 30 weeks and no more than 52 weeks). You will undertake a guided work placement at a host organisation. This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format – “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the training agreement signed by the placement provider, the student, and the home University (Northumbria).

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LW6000 -

Equity and Trusts (Optional,20 Credits)

This module introduces you to the substantive law of Equity and Trusts. It begins with an historical overview of the development of equity. This is followed by study of the creation of trusts (both express and implied). The next topic is Charitable trusts, an area which lends itself well to critical analysis. Next is a non-charitable purpose trust where students study the situations in which these trusts can be valid. You will then study the powers and duties of trustees, breach of trust and the remedies for this including tracing and equitable remedies. A critical approach is fostered throughout.

The creation of express trusts (including capacity, formalities, certainty and constitution)
Resulting and constructive trusts
Charitable trusts
Non-charitable purpose trusts
Trustees’ powers and duties
Breach of trust
Fiduciary relationships and fiduciary obligations
Tracing and Equitable remedies

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LW6005 -

Dissertation (Optional,40 Credits)

In this module you will research and write a dissertation on a substantive area of law. You will work independently to research your topic under the supervision of a tutor with expertise in the relevant field of study.

In addition to gaining detailed knowledge and understanding of your particular area of research, this module will also advance a number of key skills. You will develop legal research skills enabling you to locate and utilise relevant primary and secondary sources. You will develop the skills necessary to analyse and evaluate legal arguments and engage with critical scholarship in your area of study. You will advance your writing skills, learning to appropriately structure and compose a long form piece of academic writing. You will develop time management skills by engaging in self-directed research, and learn how to identify and respond to relevant legal issues within your allocated topic.

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LW6006 -

Law of the European Union (Optional,20 Credits)

This module aims to provide you with a knowledge and understanding of the European Union legal system, including the Treaties and sources of law; the institutions and law making processes; the enforcement and application of EU law within the domestic legal order; and the fundamental freedom of movement of goods, persons and workers. During this module you will examine relevant provisions of the EU Treaties and EU secondary legislation and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The module will include guidance on locating, researching and interpreting EU legal sources and the application of EU legal rules to solve complex hypothetical problems. You will be expected, during this module, to develop a critical awareness of current issues within EU law and to be able to use a range of primary and secondary sources to support your arguments. The syllabus will include:

• Origins and development of the European Union
• The institutions and law making processes
• Sources of EU law
• The Court of Justice of the European Union and enforcement of EU Law
• The preliminary rulings procedure
• EU law in the domestic legal order
• Free movement of goods
• Free movement of persons
• Free movement of workers
• Limitations on free movement of persons

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LW6007 -

Intellectual Property Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about a range of laws protecting and regulating IP, including copyright, trade marks, passing off, patents, design rights & breach of confidence. These areas will involve a range of activities including: reading and applying cases, legal interpretation, addressing essay questions and problem questions.

Upon completion of his module you will be able to show the following (level 6 learning outcomes):
1) A systematic & in-depth knowledge of key aspects of IP law, demonstrating detailed and coherent understanding
2) An ability to recognise and apply some of the current theories and critical scholarship at the forefront of IP law
3) An ability to consolidate & apply your knowledge of IP law to complex legal problems in order to find solutions
4) An ability to conduct self-directed research including accurate indentification of issues, the retrieval and evaluation of relevant, current information from a range of sources
5) An ability to show curiosity and awareness of the cultural & political impacts of IP laws by exercising your own intiative and ethical judgment

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LW6009 -

Sentencing and Punishment (Optional,20 Credits)

• In this module you will develop a critical understanding of both the theoretical and practical elements of sentencing. You will acquire the knowledge and understanding of the following:

• Theories of punishment – different rationales for punishment such as retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation.

• Custodial sentences – including the legal framework, current practice and the realities of prison life.

• Non-custodial sentences – including the legal framework for fines and community sentences

• A careful examination of the structure and rationale of sentencing guidelines
• assessing the seriousness of an offence
• mitigating and aggravating factors
• Youth justice

You will also be expected to acquire and exercise the following skills during the course of this module:

• The ability to identify and analyse relevant legal issues in practical and complicated scenarios
• The ability to undertake in-depth research
• The ability to undertake detailed study of relevant sources of information, including journal articles, cases and other research materials

No prior knowledge of sentencing theory or law is required. An awareness of criminal procedure is useful but not essential. This module complements other subjects in the first year of your programme, and will also provide you with a thorough understanding of the theoretical and practical issues surrounding this area of law.

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LW6010 -

Commercial Contracts (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will learn about the key issues and consequences relevant to conducting business successfully in the modern world. You will learn how commercial contracts can be used as a risk management tool, how to exercise professional judgement and you will become more commercially aware. You will also learn about how businesses use marketing arrangements to increase sales and how competition law impacts on these arrangements. As you examine commercial contracts in realistic practical contexts you will learn about drafting issues and consequences in standard form contracts, how to allocate risk and you will develop an awareness of current issues and developments in the commercial environment.

Topics include:
• commercial sales of goods contracts;
• passing of property and allocation of risk in commercial contracts;
• express terms, implied terms and exclusion clauses;
• performance of the contract;
• consequences of breach of contract,
• agency and the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993
• distribution agreements; and
• EU competition law – Article 101 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union

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LW6011 -

Medical Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of medical law in England and Wales. The module will examine the legal framework that governs medical treatment and will focus on statute and common law. In addition the module will consider key ethical issues raised by these matters, including the influence of professional guidance in this area.

This module covers the following topics:
1. Relationship between law and ethics; resolution of disputes other than by way of clinical negligence, for example contract and judicial review
2. Clinical Negligence
3. Medical Confidentiality.
4. Consent to medical treatment.
5. The Beginning of Life.
(a) contraception
(b) pre-natal negligence
6. Abortion
7. The End of Life.
(a) Neonaticide;
(b) Euthanasia and assisted suicide
(c) Treatment withdrawal

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LW6012 -

Family Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the range of laws, case law and practice developed in England and Wales to deal with matters arising from the breakdown of family relationships, including divorce, dissolution of a civil partnership, financial relief remedies, child maintenance, children, domestic abuse and cohabitees.
These areas will involve a range of activities including : reading, interpreting and applying statute and case law to practical scenarios, drafting court documents and developing writing skills in essay style questions.

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LW6014 -

Introduction to Comparative and International Criminal Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop critical understanding of substantive criminal law of the major legal systems of the world. You will learn different methods and techniques of comparative law and its significance to the development of domestic criminal law as well as to the work of the International Criminal Tribunals, namely, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The module will take a critical look at the elements of crimes, individual criminal responsibility, and modes of participation from comparative and international criminal law perspectives.

This module covers the following topics:

• Introduction to Comparative Criminal Law;
• Comparative Analysis of Mens Rea Standards in Common Legal Systems, Romano/Germanic Legal Systems, Islamic Legal Traditions and International Criminal Law
• Comparative Analysis of Different Modes of Participation in Criminal Offences with Particular Focus on Joint Criminal Enterprise in Common Law Systems and Co-Perpetration & the Control Over the Crime Theory in German Criminal Law and their Application by International Criminal Courts and Tribunals
• Elements of International Crimes, i.e. Genocide and Crimes against Humanity
• General Principles of Law in the Jurisprudence of the ICTY, ICTR and ICC: Examining the Relevant Case Law of these Tribunals and the Techniques adopted by International Judges in their Search of General Principles of Law Derived from National Legal Systems of the World

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LW6017 -

Employment Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop knowledge and understanding of the laws governing the relationship between a person, the employee, who works for another person, the employer. Working relationships come in many different guises, so drawing a precise boundary around the subject can be difficult but you will engage with some of the current theories and emerging themes surrounding the modern employment relationship. In this module you will learn about the following:-

The Scope of Employment Law (and what is Labour Law?)
• Why do we have employment law?
• Sources of law
• Current themes/ theories in employment law

The scope of labour law and the employment relationship
• The organising concepts used in English employment law
• Non-standard working relationships
• The contract of employment

Equality
• Core concepts
• Protected characteristics
• Application and enforcement

Pay
• Contractual remuneration
• National minimum wage
• Equal pay

Job security
• Termination of the employment relationship
• Unfair dismissal
• Wrongful dismissal
Business Re-organisations
• Redundancy
• Business transfers and changes of ownership

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LW6020 -

Company Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop an in depth knowledge and understanding of key aspects of company law in England and Wales. You will learn about the most important types of companies: private companies that are privately owned and public companies that can offer their shares to the general public and may be listed on a stock exchange. You will develop a critical awareness of current issues and an understanding of the perspectives and wider debates about the nature of company law.
This module covers the following topics:
• types and classification of companies;
• incorporation and the nature of corporate personality;
• the role of directors in managing a company and directors’ duties;
• financing: raising capital by issuing shares and the role and rights of shareholders;
• the corporate governance debate and public companies; and
• company insolvency.
In terms of skills development, you will read and apply company law cases, interpret statutory provisions and consider some of the relevant academic articles in this area.

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LW6022 -

International Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about international law - the law of nations. Beginning with an overview of the basics of international law - treaties and customary law, state responsibility, and jurisdiction - you will then progress through a series of case studies (on diplomatic immunities, the use of force, the law of armed conflict, international criminal law, international human rights law, and international economic law) to develop your knowledge of how those basic principles are applied. You will also develop an understanding of the international legal elements of current international events through these case studies.

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LW6025 -

Sports Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the theory, law and practice of sports law in England and Wales (including EU law and the World Anti-Doping Code). The module builds on knowledge gathered in the compulsory subjects of Contract, EU law, Criminal Law and Tort but also introduces students to other legal disciplines such as Employment Law. You will study the role of consent as a defence to what would otherwise be criminal liability for injuries incurred in the context of contact sports (such as football, ice hockey and rugby) and combat sports. You will study the causes and implications of the major 20th century sports stadium disasters including Valley Parade and Hillsborough. You will learn about the law applicable to football hooligans and consider the compatibility of some of these measures with the Human Rights Act. You will study the civil liability of (i) sports participants to each other and (ii) match officials, sports club owners, event organisers and governing bodies to sports participants, spectators and people living in close proximity to sports venues, which will engage your knowledge of negligence, nuisance and occupiers’ liability. You will examine the impact of EU Law on sport (in particular the right of free movement of workers in football and challenges to nationality quotas), the role of the Equality Act 2010 in tackling discrimination in sport, and the legal implications of doping in sport. Although the module has a UK focus it has a global scope and reference will be made to important developments overseas.

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LW6026 -

Legal History (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, through the study of certain selected themes, you will develop a critical awareness of the role of law in society. You will be able to see in an historical context how social conditions are reflected in the development of the law, legal institutions, and perceptions of the law. . The module explores the interplay between law and society rather than substantive black-letter law, but you may be required to consider selected statutory material and cases. You will have an opportunity to study legal history from both an internal and an external perspective.

The module considers English legal history in the national context. In addition, there is scope to examine the local legal history of the north-east of England, particularly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
From the long list of possible themes each year, we choose between four and six for study. There are connections between these themes.

We will also consider what we mean by history, legal history, and historiography.

Trade, Commerce and Business

In this theme we explore trade, commerce, and business in its legal historical context in specific historical periods. We may consider trade/business organisations, the role of the state in trade and business, regulation of trade and business, business disputes and labour history. We may also examine significant frauds, such as nineteenth century company frauds and investment manias.

Crime and Punishment

We will explore crime in specific historical periods. This theme may include: crime and society; public order; law enforcement; the criminal trial process; forms of punishment (including judicial and community punishments) and theories of punishment; rates of offending; crime reporting; and the role of the criminal law in maintaining the norms of social behaviour.
We may also examine specific types of criminal offence such as homicide, theft, fraud, larceny and treason.

Legal Actors

In this theme we will examine the role of specific legal actors in certain historical periods. For example: judges, magistrates, juries, police, barristers (including the introduction of barristers within a wider adversarial setting), solicitors, court staff, coroners, witnesses, regulators, commissioners and experts. In this theme we may also examine the theories around trials – including dispute resolution, the role of the state, and adversarialism.

The theme of legal actors will interconnect and build upon other themes, particularly crime and punishment, the trial process, and legal personhood.

Legal Personhood

This theme centres on questions of status and agency. We consider:
• Who counts as a ‘legal subject’?
• What characteristics limit access to or participation in the law?
• How do ideas of justice and responsibility interact with contemporary societal norms?

Within this theme we may consider

1. Age: issues of competence as witnesses and culpability as offenders for children; children in work.
2. Sex: women as victims and perpetrators of criminal offences; changing treatment of female criminality by the secular and the church courts; impact of marriage on women's legal status; witchcraft; women working in business/trade; and women’s role and participation in the law and democracy.
3. Freedom and class: the ideal subject (a property-owning adult male) does not encompass slaves, serfs and outlaws who have a particular experience of the legal system, including as victims and perpetrators of criminal offences.

Ownership, Government/State organisations and Constitutional Developments

In this theme we will examine property ownership and economic power and the ways in which they impact on the legal system. We will also examine the role of government and state organisations in the law, including in its implementation, enforcement and apparent suppression of organisations challenging the status quo.

We may consider specific constitutional developments such as the Bill of Rights; and the struggle between the Crown, the Common Law and Parliament.

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LW6028 -

International Family Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will gain an analytical and practical insight into the rationale and jurisprudence of family law as it affects families and individuals across Europe and the rest of the world. Specifically, the module will examine how the law regulates family law issues with an international dimension, how the law in England and Wales compares with the law in other jurisdictions and how international laws and treaties relating to family law are implemented, interpreted and enforced.

The issues that will be explored include:

• Choice of law and jurisdiction
• International child abduction
• Recognition and enforcement of Judgments in other jurisdictions
• Female Genital Mutilation
• Forced Marriage
• Marriage validity and religious marriage contracts

By participating in this module, you will also be encouraged to prepare blog articles for the module tutors’ blog in this area, A Family Affair, which can be accessed at: https://afamilyaffairsite.wordpress.com. You will also be encouraged to attend regular documentary screenings around wider international family law issues and participate in discussion around these issues. The screenings will examine topics such as honour based violence, traditional harmful practices, and culturally specific forms of domestic violence. Participation in these non-compulsory activities will allow you to develop your professional skills and participate in wider debates about the issues raised in the module.

No prior knowledge of family law or international law will be required. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme, including family law, child care and international human rights law.

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LW6036 -

The Law of Outer Space (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed understanding of the way in which space exploration is governed on a national and international level. The module will examine the governance of traditional space activity: the development of satellite communications, military activity in space, the use of interplanetary probes to gain scientific data and also human spaceflight. You will also evaluate legal responses to the challenges posed by new developments such as space tourism, space mining and the increased environmental strain on the space environment.

The issues that will be explored include:

• Introducing International Space Law; The Outer Space Treaty & follow up treaties
• Astropolitics, International Relations and Policy in Space
• The Institutions of Space Administration
• Environmental Space Law
• The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
• Planetary Protection
• Astronauts and Space Travellers and Tourism
• Space Mining
• National Space Legislation
• Military Space Activity
You will be encouraged to immerse yourself in the space environment and formative assessment will be by means of preparing blog posts for the module tutor’s blog The Legal Spaceman. There are also external blogs which encourage student submissions. There will be guest lectures by experts in the field of space exploration. Study on this module is predicated on an interest in wider issues surrounding space exploration.

No prior knowledge of space law will be required. An awareness of international law will be useful but is not essential. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme, and will also provide you with policy and international relations perspectives.

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LW6042 -

Maritime Law (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed understanding of the way in which maritime trade and commerce is governed on a national and international level, from a UK perspective.

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of maritime law. You will acquire the knowledge and understanding of the following:

• English maritime and shipping law
• The UK’s maritime obligations under treaties and conventions
• National and international maritime organisations
• International trade and shipping documentation (e.g. bills of lading and letters of indemnity)
• Charterparties (a maritime contract between a shipowner and a "charterer" for the hire of either a ship for the carriage of passengers or cargo)
• The law relating to collisions, salvage, limitation of liability and safe port
• Litigation, arbitration and ADR in a maritime context, including jurisdiction and choice of law

You will also be expected to acquire and exercise the following skills during the course of this module:

• The ability to identify and analyse relevant legal issues in practical and complicated scenarios
• The ability to undertake in-depth research
• The ability to undertake detailed study of relevant sources of information, including journal articles, cases and other research materials

There will be guest lectures delivered by partners from a leading shipping law firm, based in Newcastle, and the opportunity to visit the Port of Tyne for a guided tour.

No prior knowledge of maritime law is required. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme, and will also provide you with commercial and international law perspectives.

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LW6050 -

Fashion Law (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed multi-disciplinary understanding of the way in which the fashion industry is supported and shaped by the law, and is responding to current and future challenges. This module sits on three pillars of learning. You will explore and evaluate the issues under each pillar. The first pillar is multi-disciplinary and considers the role of the laws of intellectual property in the context of portfolio management, contracting with stakeholders in the industry such as suppliers and influencers and regulation. The second pillar allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of soft laws such as the role of corporate social responsibility and corporate governance. The third pillar explores industry challenges and responses to current issues such as fast fashion, sustainability and technology. You will be encouraged to immerse yourself in the world of fashion and formative assessment will be through workshops and taking an active part in Blackboard discussion forums.

No prior knowledge is required. This module complements other subjects offered at this stage in your programme and does not overlap with the current Intellectual Property module.

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LW6054 -

Student Law Office: Advice Clinic (Optional,20 Credits)

This module is based on experiential learning, or ‘learning through doing’. In this module, through real and simulated experiences with clients, you will develop a range of key lawyering skills and effective workplace skills as well as enhancing your own interpersonal skills. You will also work with your supervisor to reflect on your learning. This reflection is at the heart of the clinical experience, enabling you to understand your own learning process, and to fit your individual experiences into a wider context of personal and professional ethics and practice, and the social and economic contexts of law.

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LW6055 -

Environment and Sustainability (Optional,20 Credits)

There is an urgent need to respond to societal challenges due to earth’s environmental crisis and its capacity to sustain human well-being. From climate change to loss of biodiversity, pollution, water scarcity and over-exploitation of natural resources, the law plays a critical role in society’s ability to mobilise an effective response.

In this module you will develop a broad range of legal knowledge and critical understanding covering the structures, principles, and institutions of environmental law and sustainability/sustainable development, both at the domestic and the international levels. In addition, the module will cover the contemporary environmental and sustainability challenges to develop your knowledge and the application of law.

The following topics are an indicative list of what this module will cover:

Foundation and development of environmental law and principles, and sustainable development

Environmental policy and regulations

Waste

Land Contamination

Water

Climate Change

Biodiversity

Environmental Crime and Enforcement

Environmental Democracy and Sustainability

You will develop the skills needed to pursue a career in this area of law and policy. Legal knowledge of environmental and sustainability is increasing relevance for the commercial world.

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LW6056 -

Aviation Law (Optional,20 Credits)

This module will provide you with a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the legal framework governing aviation law. Within this module you will examine a range of international law issues as they relate to the operation of aircraft. This module will mainly focus on the sui generis legal regime that has emerged consisting of distinct and specialised rules for aviation. When such regime is silent, especially regarding competition aspects or passengers’ rights, regional and national initiative will be analysed. The module will explore the evolving landscape of aviation law, examining its theoretical underpinnings and the existing framework as it currently operates. The module will cover areas such as the foundational concepts and the sources of aviation law, air traffic management and Air Service under international law. You will dissect the key international treaties and agreements such as the Chicago Convention, Warsaw and Montreal Conventions, ASAs, Open Skies and look at the operation of the ICAO. You will examine Airport and Aircraft operation, financing, and insurance. The module will develop and enhance your critical thinking by engaging with both hypothetical scenarios and real-life case studies in aviation law. There will be an examination of aviation competition law, the liability regime governing air carriers and the way in which aviation law deals with criminal behaviour onboard aircraft. Finally, there will be consideration of the environmental implications of aviation and how these are dealt with in law. Overall, this is a contemporary module, which explores synergies and intersections between international law, commercial law and regulatory theory in respect of aviation.

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LW6057 -

Disability Law (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of adult disability law in England. The module will examine the legal framework that governs state duties and individual rights and will focus on statute and common law.


An indicative list of what this module covers is as follows:


1. Origin of the Welfare State

2. Local Authority Social Services adult duties under Care Act 2014
3. NHS healthcare duties under NHS Act 2006

4. The ‘continuing healthcare’ dividing line between free healthcare and means-tested social care

5. Mental Health Act 1983 compulsory detention and community provision
6. Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

7. Legal Remedies

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LW6058 -

Law in the Community (Optional,20 Credits)

You will have the opportunity to develop your legal knowledge and professional skills by working within the Student Law Office or with a community organisation to offer advice, assistance or legal education to their clients or service users. You will engage with at least one substantive area of law, such as civil litigation, family law, welfare benefits or housing.

You may be asked to participate in a range of clinical activities, including:

• Interviewing clients, taking instructions and advising clients
• Preparing correspondence as required on a file
• Completing administrative tasks to progress a case
• Preparing research reports
• Drafting client statements and court documents
• Preparing case strategies and identifying appropriate next steps in relation to a case
• Producing an artefact for service users (such as a legal information leaflet or a factsheet)
• Delivering presentations on legal topics

This list is not exhaustive and the exact activities you take part in will depend on the organisation you will be working with.

Your participation in these clinical activities should develop your knowledge of the law, oral and written communication skills, research skills, teamwork skills and time and file management abilities.

You will also work with your supervisor(s) to develop the ability to reflect on your learning. This reflection is at the heart of the clinical experience, enabling you not only to learn from your learning but also to fit your individual experiences into a wider context of personal and professional ethics, and the social and economic contexts of law.

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LW6059 -

Consumer Law (Optional,20 Credits)

You will learn about the law relating to the supply of goods and services in a consumer context. You will also learn about how criminal and civil laws protect consumers’ rights. You will develop the ability to understand, explain and apply the law in a practical context.


An indicative list of topics this module covers is as follows:
• the sale and supply of goods and services in consumer contracts;
• how and when property passes in a sale of goods contract;
• online and distance selling;
• unfair contract terms;
• consumer safety and unfair trading practices – how criminal and civil law protects consumers and how businesses must comply with the law;
• consumer credit – types of agreement, formation and termination of agreements and creditors’ liability; and
• enforcement of consumer rights.

On this module you will be:
• researching, reading, analysing and discussing cases and statutes;
• considering and answering problem questions in both lectures and workshops;
• developing your oral communication skills in workshops; and
• developing your written communication skills when preparing for workshops and producing work for feedback.

You will gain a wide perspective on the areas covered by this module by developing an appreciation of the relationship between civil, criminal, administrative and self-regulatory controls.

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LW6060 -

Student Law Office: Advice and Representation (Optional,40 Credits)

This module is based on experiential learning, or ‘learning through doing’. In this module, through real and simulated experiences with clients, you will develop a range of key lawyering skills and effective workplace skills as well as enhancing your own interpersonal skills. You will also work with your supervisor to reflect on your learning. This reflection is at the heart of the clinical experience, enabling you to understand your own learning process, and to fit your individual experiences into a wider context of personal and professional ethics and practice, and the social and economic contexts of law.

More information

LW6061 -

Policy and Law Reform Clinic (Optional,40 Credits)

On this module, you will engage with research rich learning, based on experiential and enquiry-based learning. You will conduct research for a third party, either an external organisation or an individual researching in a Higher Education Institution, with a defined research need. The research undertaken will aim to contribute to or influence policy and/or law reform. Through this unique experience, you will develop a range of skills, including teamwork, communication and other workplace skills, enhancing both professional and interpersonal abilities. You will gain additional skills such as project management as you will be progressing your team’s research project and ensuring the final deadline is met. You will also conduct research adapted to different audiences, e.g. interviewing different stakeholders who will be affected by a change in law and/or policy.



The research project you will work on will provide you with in-depth knowledge of the relevant area of law and, alongside the skills developed, a solid foundation for working in a legal or another professional career (including the potential to work in academia). You will also work with your supervisor to develop the ability to reflect on your learning and professional experiences. This is needed for you to understand your own learning process and to fit your individual experiences into the wider context of personal and professional research ethics and practice and the social and economic contexts of law.

More information

LW6062 -

Street Law: Empowering Communities (Optional,40 Credits)

This module is based on experiential learning, or ‘learning by doing’ that allows you to learn by hands-on experience and reflecting on that experience. Street Law: Empowering Communities is a legal education programme which aims to educate members of the public on their legal rights and responsibilities (Public Legal Education).



You will undertake a variety of tasks which present you with a problem, scenario or area of law to investigate and using an enquiry-based approach you will independently and collaboratively explore, research and discuss the issue. You will then present the findings of your research in different ways such as through producing a written document (such as a legal information leaflet, newsletter or blog) and/or by presenting this face-to-face or online to others (for example by the preparation and delivery of a lesson in a school, in house or through an online webinar or podcast). Through these tasks, you will develop a range of key skills including research, written and oral communication, your ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner appropriate for your audience and team/group work. You will also develop reflective skills reflecting upon your own experience and/or the value of this work to others.



You will construct your own learning goals and research objectives albeit with the needs of your audience (the members of the public potentially benefiting from your work) in mind.

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Study Options

The following alternative study options are available for this course:

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Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.

 

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

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