Background and Rationale

The main objectives of the module are to:  Promote awareness of the practical, social and political context within which the law operates;  Consider different sources of law and how they are applied in practice;  Develop key legal skills, particularly legal research and legal argumentation, and to promote critical awareness of their importance for your legal studies, as well as in legal practice and beyond.
 

Learning Outcomes

After completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. Understand sources of law and their relative weight and authority.
2. Know how the law operates in practice in various contexts, including the interaction between discrete areas of law that can arise, and the variety of means through which legal disputes can be resolved.
3. Have a deep understanding of the diverse range of legal research methodologies.
4. Understand the key role of thorough legal research and accurate use of legal authority in the development of rigorous legal argument.
5. Identify and locate primary and secondary legal sources both in print (in the library) and electronically (through relevant legal databases).
6. Evaluate legal materials by way of statutory interpretation, case analysis, and the identification and analysis of relevant secondary materials.
7. Analyse factual scenarios and apply legal rules and principles to produce reasoned, structured, and effective arguments, adequately supported by reference to legal authority.
8. Conduct self-directed research.
9. Communicate and present written arguments supported by appropriate evidence.
10. Effectively apply information to solve practical problems.
11. Formulate an effective, reasoned and structured argument.
12. Retrieve and evaluate accurate, relevant and appropriate information from a variety of sources.