MODULE OPTION CHOICES - YEAR 2 – 2016-17
What is this booklet for?
This document contains module outlines for modules which we plan to make
available for you to study in 2016-17.
Please note that there are various factors which affect the availability of option
modules. These include:
1. the level of student interest
2. resource / capacity issues which may affect how many students can take a
module, even if it does run
What do I need to do now?
Please have a look through the menu of possible options and consider which
ones are of particular interest to you. Please think about whether the modes of
teaching and assessments will suit you as well as whether the subject matter of the
module is of interest to you.
You will have an opportunity to speak to some module leaders and to students
who have taken the modules to find out more about them at the Options Fair at
the end of week 5.
In week 8, you will be invited by email to complete your module choices online,
full instructions will be provided at the time.
Please think very carefully about which options you would like to take
and how these might fit into your plans for the future. The growth of
student numbers in YLS, and the subsequent increased complexity of
module allocation and timetabling, means that students who are
allocated their first choice of option modules will not be permitted to
change these without an exceptionally good reason.
1
List of Options for Year 2
Term 1 (Final assessed item usually to be submitted in term 2, week
1)
Clinic
Counter Terrorism
Foundational Issues in Law
Human Rights and Wrongs in a Globalised World
Key Themes in Criminal Justice
Law and the Business Environment
2
Term 2 (Final assessed item usually to be submitted in term 3, week
1)
Clinic
Employment Law
Family Law
Financial Citizenship and Social Justice
Law & Language
Medicine, Ethics and the Law
3
TERM 1 Option Modules
4
Option Module:
CLINIC
Module Leader:
TBC
The York Law School (YLS) Clinic (the Clinic) provides pro bono legal services. Students have the
opportunity to take part in hands-on legal work, as a structured part of their study, for the
benefit of the wider community.
Formal Learning Activities: A small number of introductory plenary sessions, attendance at
clinical sessions as necessary
Other Requirements:
Professional behaviour requirement, including attendance
Student Numbers:
Limited to 15 Law students
Module Content and Delivery:
This module gives students the opportunity to participate in, or shadow, ‘real’ cases for clients
across a wide range of different areas of law including small business problems, social security,
housing and employment. Clients may be individuals who require advice, and possibly
representation, or organisations who are seeking more general advice including advice on law
reform. All student work will be supervised by the Clinic Director or other suitably qualified
members of staff. Students will work on allocated cases and take part in both individual tasks
and collective work as part of a student law firm.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, students should be able:
1. through a critical analysis of at least one aspect of substantive law, encountered during
the module, to demonstrate a clear understanding of the legal principles involved, as
evidenced by documented research and subsequent advice given.
2. with reference to a range of clinic-related experiences, to identify the fundamental
principles underpinning the skills that lawyers need to have to effectively carry out their
work.
3. in complying with applicable standards of professional conduct and client-care
requirements, to show a sound appreciation of the constraints on and expectations of
a university-based legal service provider.
Assessment Method:
MLO 1: An advice letter to a ‘client’, based on a given scenario, supported by fully
documented legal research (40% of the overall module weighting). The assessment task is to
be completed in week one of the term following study of the module.
MLO 2: An oral examination (viva) based the student’s understanding of the nature and extent
of the skills necessary for a lawyer to effectively carry out his or her work (30%). The viva is
held in week 9 of the term of study.
MLO 3: A group mark (for the work of each student law firm) based on the extent to which all
of the cases files handled by that firm meet professional practice requirements (10%) and (for
Year 2 students only) a reflective report (up to 1,500 words) on whether and to what extent
tension exists between the educational aims of a clinic and the legal service needs of clients
5
(20%). The group mark will be determined by week 1 of the term following study of the
module and the critique is to be submitted by week 6 of the term of study.
Preliminary Reading:
 A Student Guide to Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono, Kevin Kerrigan and Victoria.
Murray (eds.), Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
 The Global Clinical Movement: Educating Lawyers for Social Justice, Frank Bloch (ed.),
Oxford University Press, 2010
 Clinical Legal Education – active learning in your law school, Hugh Brayne, Nigel Duncan
and Richard Grimes, Blackstone Press, 1998 (currently out of print but excerpts on the VLE
and hard copy available in Clinic)
6
Option Module:
COUNTER-TERRORISM
Module Leader:
Joanna Gilmore
Formal Learning Activities: Workshops and plenary sessions
Other Requirements:
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
Limited to 30 Law students
Module Content and Delivery:
The aim of this module is to develop knowledge and understanding of counter-terrorism law,
policy and practice from an inter-disciplinary perspective. The module will consider the
legitimacy of legal definitions of terrorism and analyse the problems associated with
conceptualising terrorism at domestic and international levels. We will critically evaluate
legislative counter-terrorism measures including proscription, pre-charge detention, Control
Orders and Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures. We will also consider the
effectiveness of counter-terrorism policies and policing practices including Operation Kratos
(‘shoot-to-kill’) and the Prevent strategy. We will locate these developments in the context of
the global ‘War on Terror’ and consider lessons learned from counter-terrorism strategies
developed during the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’. Particular focus will be placed on the impact of
counter-terrorism policies and practices on human rights and civil liberties.
We will investigate substantive and methodological issues associated with counter-terrorism
through problems and seminar discussion. The module will develop your ability to work
independently and collaboratively and to develop and present oral and written arguments. You
could apply your knowledge, for example, by advising individuals subjected to counterterrorism executive powers of their legal rights or by analysing the effectiveness of a particular
counter-terrorism policing policy.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module students should be able to:
1. Critically consider the problems associated with conceptualising and defining terrorism in a
UK and international context;
2. Understand models of counter-terrorism and the principles underpinning them;
3. Comprehend how counter-terrorism legislation, policy and practice have developed in the
UK and internationally, particularly since the events of 11 September 2001;
4. Critically analyse counter-terrorism dilemmas; eg the conflict between security and liberty;
5. Recognise the contribution research and academic discourse have made to knowledge and
understanding of counter-terrorism;
6. Evaluate counter terrorism policies and practices against human rights principles.
Assessment Method: 100% coursework – 2500 word essay + piece of reflective work
Preliminary Reading:
S Poynting and D Whyte Counter-Terrorism and State Political Violence: The 'War on Terror' as
Terror (London: Routledge, 2012)
7
Option Module:
FOUNDATIONAL ISSUES IN LAW
Module Leader:
Ben Fitzpatrick
Formal Learning Activities: Workshops and plenary sessions
Other Requirements
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
No set limit
Module Content and Delivery:
This module offers an introduction to philosophical thinking about law.
We will consider the fundamental nature of law by asking questions such as: What is law?
Where does it come from? How do we identify what it says?
We will consider the significance of law by asking questions such as: What, if any, is its value?
What, if anything, is it for? How is it connected to morality? What ends should it (and should it
not) be used for? Should we obey it?
We will examine and discuss some prominent answers to these kinds of questions, and I will
encourage you to develop your own.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of a variety of philosophical,
political, social and cultural (‘philosophical etc’ below) issues relevant to law
2. identify, retrieve and discriminate among sources of information relevant to
philosophical etc questions about law
3. synthesise and analyse a variety of information sources to develop further knowledge,
construct arguments, draw conclusions supported by appropriate authority, and
evaluate the merits of alternative arguments
4. demonstrate an awareness of the significance of academic integrity and an ability to act
with academic integrity
Assessment Method: 100% Coursework – 70% essay and 30% Reflection
Preliminary Reading: John Gardner, ‘Law and Philosophy’ in Simon Halliday (ed), An
Introduction to the Study of Law (W. Green 2012) esp 24-29
8
Option Module:
HUMAN RIGHTS AND WRONGS IN A GLOBALISED
WORLD (Joint module with Politics)
Module Leaders:
Jenny Gibbons
Formal Learning Activities: A combination of lectures and seminars
Other Requirements:
Participation in all seminar discussions.
Student Numbers:
No set limit
Module Content and Delivery:
The practice of human rights currently faces a key challenge: although there has been a recent
proliferation of treaties, adjudicative bodies, and research in this area, this appears not to have
the effect of diminishing serious human rights abuses. This module is designed so students
learn how to advance human rights claims in this context.
There are several broad themes that run throughout this module: (1) power versus norms, and
politics versus law; (2) international versus national (the debate between cosmopolitanism and
state sovereignty); and (3) law versus practice (the challenge of implementation).
PLEASE NOTE: This module is delivered in a traditional lecture then seminar model rather than
through problem-based learning. This requires students to attend seminars having read the
relevant suggested reading IN ADVANCE so as to be able to contribute to the seminar
discussions in a meaningful way. Guest speakers deliver the majority of the lectures and the
content covers a range of human rights issues.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
 Understand the international and domestic politics of protecting human rights;
 Apply international law to human rights violations; and
 Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of human rights mechanisms for
preventing and punishing human rights abuses.
Assessment Method: 100% coursework – 3000 word essay
Preliminary Reading:


Olivia Ball and Paul Gready, The No-Nonsense Guide to Human Rights (2006)
Clifford Bob, The International Struggle for New Human Rights (2009)
For students with some prior knowledge of the subject:

Rhona Smith, Textbook on International Human Rights (2014)
9
Option Module:
KEY THEMES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Module Leader:
Patrick Gallimore
Formal Learning Activities: Workshops and plenary sessions
Other Requirements:
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
No set limit
Module Content and Delivery:
This module provides a sound basis for understanding the criminal justice system as a set of
interacting institutions and the norms and value systems that underpin its operation. The
module will provide opportunities to critically engage with the moral claims invoked when the
prosecution and punishment of individuals is undertaken. You will consider the extent to which
the system represents an attempt to determine the truth of allegations, the protection of
liberty and the infliction of appropriate or just punishments while also engaging with
questions as to the extent to which criminal justice procedures and practices can be said to be
“fair” or “just”. In addition you will explore the extent to which these values can be said to
assist or undermine each other. During the module you will therefore have an opportunity to
consider the practice of policing, of pre-trial and trial procedures and practices (including the
application of some of the rules of evidence in criminal cases) and aspects of post-trial decision
making such as the sentencing of offenders. You will also consider alternatives to criminal
prosecution and therefore with questions of the appropriateness or suitability of criminal trial.
While the module will involve identification and understanding of the rules and procedures of
the criminal justice system, you will also be expected to examine the system from a critical
perspective, drawing upon a variety of sources and perspectives to evaluate the claims and
assumptions of criminal justice practice. Delivery will consist of a combination of exploration of
hypothetical scenarios and discussion of the wider debate. The scenarios will trigger debates
about these core themes and values.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the criminal justice institutions
2. demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the normative framework of the
criminal justice system
3. identify, retrieve and discriminate among sources of information relevant to an
understanding of the criminal justice system and its practices
4. synthesise and analyse a variety of information sources to develop further knowledge,
construct arguments, draw conclusions supported by appropriate authority, and
evaluate the merits of alternative arguments
5. demonstrate an awareness of the significance of academic integrity and an ability to act
with academic integrity
Assessment Method: 100% coursework – 3500 word essay (with reflective element)
Preliminary Reading:
A Ashworth & M Redmayne, The Criminal Justice Process (4th ed, Oxford, OUP)
10
Option Module:
LAW AND THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Module Leader:
Laurence Etherington
Formal Learning Activities: Approximately 6 x PBL sessions; approximately 7 x 1 hour large
group sessions; and One Day Case Study Event.
Other Requirements:
This module will involve a Full Day visit to London while attending
the ‘Case Study Event’ (travel costs paid from York to London
return) towards the end of Term 1.
Student Numbers:
Limited to 40 Law students
Module Content and Delivery:
This Module examines two aspects of the business environment within which lawyers
commonly undertake legal work: (a) the commercial world within which many legal
professionals provide services; and (b) the business of legal professionals providing those
services. The module is designed to provide an introduction to the strategic, financial and
other concerns of legal service providers and other businesses. It should also help you to
develop your overall “commercial awareness”.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:
1. Understanding how and why legal service providers organise themselves using different
structures, including the roles of various people working within these, and the advantages and
disadvantages of different legal structures for legal service providers and for other types of
businesses
2. The ability to use concepts and techniques to analyse and interpret financial information in
the context of legal services provision
3. The use of concepts, techniques and information sources to undertake ‘internal’ and
‘external’ analysis of a legal service provider, develop and evaluate strategic options and
prepare a Business Plan for their implementation
4. The ability to apply the knowledge and techniques developed in the module in different
contexts
Assessment Method: The course will be assessed through a form of Learning Portfolio
(focusing on a Business Plan) (100%), submitted in Week 1 of the Spring Term.
Preliminary Reading:
C Stoakes, Commercial Awareness (Christopher Stoakes Ltd 2013/14), or
C Stoakes, All you need to know about commercial awareness (2011/12) (Longtail Press 2012)
11
TERM 2 Option Modules
12
Option Module:
CLINIC
Module Leader:
TBC
The York Law School (YLS) Clinic (the Clinic) provides pro bono legal services. Students have the
opportunity to take part in hands-on legal work, as a structured part of their study, for the
benefit of the wider community.
Formal Learning Activities: A small number of introductory plenary sessions, attendance at
clinical sessions as necessary
Other Requirements:
Professional behaviour requirement, including attendance
Student Numbers:
Limited to 25 Law students
Module content and delivery:
This module gives students the opportunity to participate in, or ‘shadow’, “real” cases for
clients across a possible range of different areas of law including small business problems,
social security, housing and employment. Clients may be individuals who require advice, and
possibly representation, or organisations who are seeking more general advice including advice
on law reform. All student work will be supervised by the Clinic Director or other suitably
qualified members of staff. Students will work on allocated cases and take part in both
individual tasks and collective work as part of a student law firm.
Module Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, students should be able:
1. through a critical analysis of at least one aspect of substantive law, encountered during
the module, to demonstrate a clear understanding of the legal principles involved, as
evidenced by documented research and subsequent advice given.
2. with reference to a range of clinic-related experiences, to identify the fundamental
principles underpinning the skills that lawyers need to have to effectively carry out their
work.
3. in complying with applicable standards of professional conduct and client-care
requirements, to show a sound appreciation of the constraints on and expectations of
a university-based legal service provider.
Assessment Method:
MLO 1: An advice letter to a ‘client’, based on a given scenario, supported by fully
documented legal research (40% of the overall module weighting). The assessment task is to
be completed in week one of the term following study of the module.
MLO 2: An oral examination (viva) based the student’s understanding of the nature and extent
of the skills necessary for a lawyer to effectively carry out his or her work (30%). The viva is
held in week 9 of the term of study.
MLO 3: A group mark (for the work of each student law firm) based on the extent to which all
of the cases files handled by that firm meet professional practice requirements (10%) and (for
Year 2 students only) a reflective report (up to 1,500 words) on whether and to what extent
tension exists between the educational aims of a clinic and the legal service needs of clients
13
(20%). The group mark will be determined by week 1 of the term following study of the
module and the critique is to be submitted by week 6 of the term of study.
Preliminary Reading:
 A Student Guide to Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono, Kevin Kerrigan and Victoria.
Murray (eds.), Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
 The Global Clinical Movement: Educating Lawyers for Social Justice, Frank Bloch (ed.),
Oxford University Press, 2010
 Clinical Legal Education – active learning in your law school, Hugh Brayne, Nigel Duncan
and Richard Grimes, Blackstone Press, 1998 (currently out of print but excerpts on the VLE
and hard copy available in Clinic)
14
Option Module:
EMPLOYMENT LAW
Module Leader:
Jenny Gibbons
Formal Learning Activities: 8 x 2 hour workshops (two SLFs working simultaneously)
Other Requirements:
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
No set limit
Module Content and Delivery:
This module seeks to provide students with an introduction to Employment Law and an
opportunity to practise legal skills in a simulated practical context.
Most of the learning and teaching will take place through simulations of realistic employment
law issues. Each SLF will be provided with information about an ongoing employment dispute
provided by either the employee or the employer. Students will interview their client, research
the clients issue and write a letter to the client giving advice.
Additional activities will include simulating a workplace dispute mediation meeting, Q&A
sessions with practising employment lawyers, and presentations about topical employment
law issues.
Module Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module students should be able to demonstrate:
 An understanding of a range of substantive and procedural employment law issues;
 An appreciation of some of the commercial and practical considerations that influence
employment lawyers in practice;
 Critical evaluation of one or more of the contemporary issues in employment law,
including an appreciation of the social, economic and political context of the debate.
 A development of the skills of statute analysis, case analysis, legal research and
drafting.
Assessment Method: Students will be assessed via two separate pieces of written work:
The First Assessment - 50% - total word limit 1500. The first element of assessment is based
on the work undertaken as part of the simulation up to and including week 6. The Assessment
is an individual exercise. Each student is to write a letter to their client setting out their legal
and factual position and explaining and justifying the firm’s advice in advance of the Mediation
Meeting.
The Second Assessment – 50% - total word limit 1500. The second element of the assessment
is a critical essay on an employment law issue, as chosen by each student individually.
15
Preliminary Reading:
Tamara Lewis, Employment Law: an advisor’s handbook (2013, LAG)
Ian Smith , Smith and Wood’s Employment Law (2013, OUP)
Astra Emir, Selwyn’s Law of Employment (2012, OUP)
16
Option Module:
FAMILY LAW AND PRACTICE
Module Leader:
Patrick Gallimore
Formal Learning Activities:
9x 1½ hour workshops, 9x 1 hour plenaries
Other Requirements:
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
No set limit
Module Rationale and Content:
This module seeks to provide students with an introduction to Family Law by both a theoretical
and practical point of view. Students will examine issues including:
 the concept of the family (what the law recognises as a family relationship and the
extent to which the law’s protections reflect wider social realities);
 the formation and dissolution of marriages and civil partnerships;
 entitlements to property during marriages and civil partnerships and following the
breakdown of such relationships;
 the role and status of children within family relationships;
 the protection of persons within families from abuse;
 procedures for resolving disputes within families both within and outside of the court
system
In addition to identifying the law on the subject matters above, the module will involve the
examination of theoretical literature (both within the law and more generally) to enable
students to evaluate current laws and practices from a critical perspective.
Module Delivery:
Workshops introduce a variety of scenarios using PBL methodology. These scenarios will
provide students with opportunities to identify the law in relation to a number of practice
areas, which will be built upon and developed as the module progresses. In addition to the
investigation of the statute law, case law and rules of procedure that determine what ‘Family
Law’ consists of, each area addressed in workshops will raise theoretical issues for critical
investigation. Plenary sessions will provide a structural basis for workshop activities, both in
terms of identifying the overall legal structure and the key theoretical issues influencing an
understanding of the family.
17
Module Learning outcomes:
At the end of the module students will be able to demonstrate:
 Understanding of how a family relationship is defined legally and what protections the
law offers to a family so defined;
 Understanding of the powers the courts have to control the property of family
members and the principles under which those powers are exercised;
 Understanding of how the welfare of children is promoted by laws and legal
procedures;
 The ability of evaluate the concept of the family and how it is protected or controlled
by legal process;
 The ability to describe and evaluate the use of court processes to protect the interests
of family members.
Assessment Method: Students will receive a case study which will form the basis or the
assessed task. They are to produce an essay of no more than 3,500 words which
(a) identifies and advises on the law applicable in the case study; and
(b) identifies and evaluates the normative and theoretical issues arising from the case
study
Preliminary Reading:
Gillian Douglas, An Introduction to Family Law (2004, OUP)
Jonathan Herring, Family Law (2015, OUP)
18
Option Module:
Financial Citizenship & Social Justice
Module Leader:
Sarah Wilson
Formal Learning Activities: 8x 1 hour plenaries/lectures and 8 x 2 hour seminars/workshops
Other Requirements
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
Limited to 30 Law Students
Module Content:
The module uses conceptual themes of ‘citizenship’ and ‘social justice’ drawn from academic
and policy discourses to frame concerns about financial marginalisation and actually financial
exclusion in the UK. This is manifested in how a significant number of persons – from amongst
the poorest in society- are unable to access even core financial services, such as a basic bank
account. From this it considers the manifest importance of access to basic banking facilities for
every-day life, traditionally attached to employment and home ownership, but now also
becoming increasingly embedded into welfare provision by the State and its private partners.
The module highlights concerns about financial exclusion from policy organisations, including
the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (CSFI) and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ),
and also from regulatory organisations, centrally the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This is
to highlight the economic and the social importance of ensuring access across society to
mainstream financial services traditionally associated with retail banking. In doing so it
introduces students to why some persons are considered ‘unattractive’ for conventional banks,
and how this could be addressed, and then to different models by which such facilities could
be provided. The latter involves looking at Building Societies and Friendly Societies, and also
Credit Unions, and at current Government emphasis of ‘localism’ in the context of financial
service provision (drawing in current interest in reviving the regional banking sector
dominating in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and reference being made to
models adopted elsewhere in Europe and the US).
Although focused domestically, discussion of alternative models which might encourage
inclusion rather than marginalisation and exclusion in the UK will also touch on finance
initiatives being observed in developing nations lacking the administrative, economic and
regulatory infrastructures associated with western economies and societies, but which are
recognised as emphasising inclusiveness.
The aftermath of the global financial crisis sets the scene for the module, drawing in the
importance of the UK financial system being more stable and less prone to shocks in the
future. Here emphasis is on how financial inclusion can help to build a financial system which is
more sustainable and stable post-crisis through being more inclusive and thus more just.
Module Delivery: The module is taught collaboratively, potentially drawing in perspectives and
interests from colleagues within YLS and beyond (in CAHR and the wider institution), and
academics from other UK universities, and other ‘stakeholders’ from the wider community
including from social justice organisations and regulatory authorities.
19
It will use a PBL-like approach to introduce core themes through ‘triggering’ research and
discussion in the seminar classes. Plenary/Lecture slots will support the seminars’ exploration
of key themes in different ways, including through research-led plenaries and mini-plenaries,
reading group activity, and the ‘advanced’ development of points of particular interest arising
from seminar discussion.
Module learning outcomes:






Understand the significance of the global financial crisis for highlighting concerns about
financial citizenship, financial marginalisation and responsible consumption in the UK
Understand the key functional, legal and regulatory dimensions of numerous models for
providing basic financial services to individuals identified in the module relating to the UK and
developing nations
Analyse the central debates informing concerns in the UK about financial citizenship and
exclusion drawn from across academic commentary and policy discourses
Evaluate key legal and wider definitional/conceptual ideas of ‘financial citizenship’ and ‘social
justice’
Evaluate how key issues around financial exclusion and responsible financial citizenship draw in
different theoretical and disciplinary perspectives, and how these might interface with policy
discourses
Reflect on practical and theoretical connections which can be made between ‘financial
citizenship’ and ‘social justice’
Assessment Method: 100 % coursework – 2,500 word essay
Preliminary Reading:
 Social justice: transforming lives (Government Policy Paper, March 2012)
 Maxed Out: Serious Personal Debt in Britain (Centre for Social Justice in Britain,
November 2013)
 A K Aldohni, ‘Loan Sharks v. Short Term Lenders: How do the Law and Regulators Draw
the Line?’ (2013) 40 JLS 420
 J Hacker Shared Responsibility, Shared Risk: Government, Markets and Social Policy in
the Twenty-First Century (OUP, 2012)
 A Haldane ‘A Leaf Being Turned: Occupy Economics, Socially Useful Banking’ (October
2012, available on the Bank of England Website)
 J Welby ‘Repair or Replace: Where do we start among the ruins?’ (October 2012,
available on the Diocese of Durham website)
 Innovations for Poverty Actions (IPA) ‘What do we really know about microfinance?’
 http://www.poverty-action.org/node/4856
 D M Roodman Due Diligence: What Social Investors Should Know About Microfinance
(Centre for Global Development, 2011)
 M Robertson The Microfinance Revolution: Sustainable Finance for the Poor:
Sustainable Finance for the Poor (World Bank, 2001)
 R Wilkinson and K Pickett The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone (Penguin,
2009)
 M Yunus Banker to the Poor: The Story of the Grameen Bank (London: Aurum, 2003)
20
Option Module:
LAW AND LANGUAGE (Joint module with
Language & Linguistics)
Module Leader:
Kathryn Wright
Formal Learning Activities:
Workshops/seminars
Other Requirements:
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
Limited to 15 Law and 15 Linguistics students
Module Content and Delivery:
Language is an essential tool of the law. As a law student, you have already gained at least an
initial awareness of the structure of legal argument, drafting, interpretation of statutes and
judicial reasoning. As a language/linguistics student, you may find the way that language is
used to define and enact legal principles of particular interest, especially in view of how so
much may rest on how the wording of statutes is prepared and later interpreted. It is also true
that certain crimes (fraud, defamation, impersonation, perjury, blasphemy, threats, etc.) are
first and foremost language crimes: one can incriminate oneself solely by choosing to phrase
an utterance or piece of text a particular way. This module examines explicitly the relationship
between law and language, taking on perspectives from other disciplines such as sociology and
politics along the way. Seminars are focused around three themes: Uses and Abuses of Legal
Language, Language as Evidence, and Multilingualism and Translation.
Module Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
1. Reflect on the functions and characteristics of legal language and how they affect
communication
2. Evaluate the importance of language in various legal contexts
3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the emerging field of forensic linguistics
4. Analyse challenges of multilingualism and translation
5. Apply appropriate methodological approaches to analysing legal texts
6. Synthesise and analyse a variety of information sources to develop further knowledge,
construct arguments, draw conclusions supported by appropriate authority, and
evaluate the merits of alternative arguments
Assessment Method:
20% oral presentation; 80% 3,000 word essay
Preliminary Reading:
P Tiersma ‘What is Language and Law? And Does Anyone Care?’ (2009) Loyola-LA Legal Studies
Paper No. 2009-11
21
Option Module:
MEDICINE, ETHICS AND THE LAW
Module Leader:
Katarzyna Gromek-Broc
Formal Learning Activities: Plenaries, PBL (2 hour plenary, PBL occasionally, guest seminar)
Other Requirements
Participation in all learning activities
Student Numbers:
Limited to 40 Law Students
Module Content and Delivery:
In this module you will have the opportunity to consider a range of problematic legal and
ethical issues associated with medicine.
We will consider issues of liability and responsibility in medical contexts; the role of consent;
access to information; and patients’ rights.
We will also consider a range of dilemmas relating to medicine and law. These may include the
regulation of abortion; euthanasia; surrogacy; the use of embryos and stem cells in research;
vaccines; and organ donation.
Module Aims:
The module will provide you with an opportunity to develop critical understanding of
fundamental principles governing medical law and to critically assess ethical controversies that
law must confront. The module is placed within a wider philosophical and social context in
which medical law can develop. It puts emphasis on current medical dilemmas related to
scientific progress, arising ethical problems and the need for legal regulation. The module will
consider selected topics and the legal issues in England and Wales and European Union.
Module learning outcomes:
At the end of this module students should be able to:
 demonstrate the knowledge of the basic concepts, principles and rules related to the
regulation of healthcare in England and Wales and basic initiatives to harmonise
healthcare within the EU
 demonstrate an understanding of the basic values and concepts governing medical
ethics
 demonstrate the ability to assess critically different views and opinions related to
current medical dilemmas (such as euthanasia, abortion)
 demonstrate the ability of analysis of the current ethical and legal problems
 demonstrate the ability to apply the legal and ethical principles and rules to the real
situations.
Assessment Method: Plenary presentation and reflection (25%), 2,500 word essay (75%)
Preliminary Reading:
Emily Jackson, Medical Law: Text, Cases and Materials (2013, OUP) Samanta & Samanta
Medical Law (2nd ed, Palgrave 2015)
Tom Beauchamp and James Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics (6th ed.) (Oxford
University Press in 2009).
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Rhodes, R., Francis, L. P. and Silvers A. (2007). The Blackwell Guide to Medical Ethics. Blackwell,
Malden, Mass.
Veitch, K. (2007). The Jurisdiction of Medical Law. Ashgate, Aldershot.
Brazier, M. and Cave, E. (2007). Medicine, Patients and the Law, fourth edition, Penguin,
London.
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