Legal Systems and Methods

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 4
• Convenors: Professor Daniel Monk, Kojo Koram, Olivia Hamlyn
• Assessment: a short writing exercise (5%), case commentary (25%) and essay (70%)

This module acts as an introduction to your Law degree and to many of the skills you will need to be successful in it.

The content of the module will provide you with essential knowledge about basic legal concepts, the sources of law and the institutions of the English legal system and the people who work within it. It will also provide an introduction to the unique features of studying law, the different ways of reading law and asking questions about law.

It aims to prepare you to study for the rest of the degree and to approach assessments effectively, and to give you some initial practice in the skills necessary to do this. Taught by a team of experienced tutors, the module will also introduce you to the styles of teaching used by the School of Law, balancing a mix of theory, case studies and rigorous academic analysis of law and the legal system. It is taught in the form of lectures and seminars which will help you to start thinking about law in a more analytical and critical manner.

By the end of this module, you will:

• be able to identify, locate and appraise a wide range of legal materials
• have knowledge about and an understanding of the structures of the English legal system
• understand the diversity, composition and roles of the professionals who work within the legal system
• be introduced to the major legal concepts, values, principles and rules of the legal system, legislation and case law
• have an awareness of the range of possible approaches to legal scholarship
• be able to identify and understand the specific skills required to study law as an academic subject.