LW7128 - Comparative Law of Evidence

The module will run across Semester Two and you will be learning through lectures and workshops, with tutor-guided and student-independent learning. The tutors will use case-law, legislation and academic writing to give context to core principles. You will then be learning through a series of different delivery styles which will include traditional taught lectures to cover theoretical / procedural aspects of the curriculum, supplemented with workshop sessions where you will develop into an active learner, putting concepts into context by making connections between theory and practice. Additional learning strategies utilised throughout the module include practical and online exercises. There will be directed independent learning to go beyond the lecture content. The module eLearning Portal (eLP) site contains a module handbook outlining the content of the module. Lecture slides, digital lecture recordings and workshop exercises will also be made available on the eLP site. Formative feedback will be provided on knowledge and understanding of module content as well as a number of opportunities to engage with the method of assessment used in the module.

Students will be supported through active participation and discussion during classroom sessions. This module will be designed and managed by your designated Module Tutor who will be responsible for guiding you in your engagement and learning on the module. All relevant materials and instructions including notes for lectures and workshops will be accessible on-line through Blackboard Ultra. The site is maintained by your Module Tutor, who will also provide guidance on any other issues that they consider relevant to your studies. All lecture and workshop material will be available on Blackboard Ultra, supplemented with guidance on further reading relevant to the subjects. Assessment feedback will also be provided to allow students to understand how they performed and how they can build on this performance in subsequent assessments within the programme.

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

Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the module you should be able to:
• Critically evaluate the law of evidence and proof in common law jurisdictions;
• Critique and make reasoned judgments on the decision-making process in the criminal process is structured.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
By the end of the module you should be able to:
• Communicate your critical evaluation of the law of evidence and proof accurately.

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

By the end of the module you should have developed the ability to:
• Evaluate different approaches to criminal evidence from both a procedural and cultural perspective and provide reasoned arguments as to how forensic science and criminal justice can work together.

• Enhance your critical judgments of key principles of criminal evidence both in a national and global context.

Formative assessment
There will be practical exercises during workshops, covering different skills in the module, giving students opportunity to practice ahead of the final presentation and essay.

Summative assessment
The module will be assessed by way of 3000 words essay on evidence and proof.

Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria will be made available to you to support you in completing assessments. Grade-Related Descriptors are descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge and/or attributes that you need to demonstrate in order achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment, providing a mechanism by which the quality of an assessment can be measured and placed within the overall set of marks.

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This module takes a cross-jurisdictional look at evidence in legal settings. It articulates the decision-making process in various criminal justice systems by exploring the respective normative framework for information management. Different models of proof in domestic (England and Wales) and international criminal justice systems (common law) will be reduced to their central tenets and principles of evidence and proof. Particular emphasis will be laid on the area of law at the intersection of evidence and proof. We will investigate the way in which the criminal process employs expert witnesses and critically analyse the various issues arising from the way legal officials, fact-finders and scientists/forensic practitioners communicate with each other.