COURSE IN DEPTH
Year One
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all of the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
Legal Systems
20 credits
The module has been designed to align with aspects of the functioning legal knowledge of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
The module aims to provide you with basic knowledge of what the law is, what are its sources and the main characteristics of UK and foreign legal systems.
The module provides foundational knowledge to support your study in Contract Law & Tort Law at Level 4, Criminal Law and Constitutional & Administrative Law at Level 5, Law of the European Union and the optional Comparative Constitutional Models module at Level 6 by providing you with foundational concepts to be developed further in these modules.
Foundations in Professional Skills
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with foundational skills to equip you for your future study in law and also your future personal and career development. You will explore some of the foundational transferable skills that are needed in order to successfully study the law, as well as starting a reflective process preparing you for a future legal or other career.
The module provides foundational knowledge to support your study in Professional Skillsat Level 5 by starting your learning in a range of professional skills such as time management, independent learning and reflection. Since it is vitally important that you begin your career reflection and management early, you will also start to think about your own career development and this will be taken further in Professional Skills at level 5.
Critical Legal Thinking
20 credits
This module aims to furnish you with the key academic and scholarly skills to enable to flourish as a legal scholar and succeed in your studies. The module’s primary goal is to introduce you to the skillset necessary to be part of the community of knowledge and practice which is united by the use of legal thinking and knowledge.
The module provides core legal skills which will support your study of contract and tort law at Level 4, and in all compulsory and optional academic legal modules at Level 5 and Level 6. It will develop your ability to find, interpret, apply and understand the law and its role. It will provide you with the foundations for subsequent modules in which you solve legal problems and/or seek to explain or understand the law.
Law of Tort
20 credits
This is a compulsory module which has been designed to align with aspects of the functioning legal knowledge of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam. The module will introduce theoretical considerations within the Law of Tort and its function in dispute resolution and with a focus upon concepts and principles of the Tort of Negligence.
The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems, Foundations of Professional Skills and Critical Thinking during Semester 1 of Level 4. You will consolidate your legal knowledge and you will be introduced to principles of dispute resolution in the context of the Law of Tort. You will identify facts and analyse legal issues, in order to identify solutions to legal problems.
Contract Law
20 credits
This is a compulsory module which aims to provide you with an appreciation of the relevant contractual principles such as offer, acceptance and consideration that are involved when parties enter into legally binding agreements. The module provides foundational knowledge to support your study in Business Law at level 5 as it introduces the context for the formation of commercial transactions which is an important aspect of business law.
This module aligns with the LLB course’s ethos of fostering the development of your autonomy and professional attributes through a rigorous education in law. To achieve this the module content has been designed to improve your knowledge of the substantive law as well as to prioritise the development of key transferrable employability skills, particularly those related to communication, research, commercial awareness and problem-solving.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:
Consumer and Agency Law
20 credits
The module addresses the regulation of consumer markets and the law, and the policies and institutional framework concerning the regulation of consumer markets. The module aims to balance both the theoretical and commercial aspects of both Consumer and Agency Law by showing how consumer law sets out to define and protect a consumer and the legal significance of being an agent. As a threshold idea you will be enabled to see that it attempts to re-balance the market in favour of the individual consumer. You will also see how fundamental Agency Law is to nearly every transaction that people undertake.
Introduction to US Legal Studies
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with knowledge of key aspects of the history of the U.S. Constitution and will provide you with the basic skills that will enable you to find U.S. legal material and conduct meaningful legal research.
The module provides foundational knowledge to support your study in ‘Federalism and the US Constitution’ at Level 5 and the ‘Individual and the US Constitution’, ‘American Legal Practice’, “American Criminal Procedure and Practice’, Human Rights in America’ and ‘Comparative Constitutional Models at Level 6. It will complement your study of the UK legal system at Level 4 and support your studies in the compulsory Constitutional and Administrative Law module at Level 5.
Global Protection of Human Rights
20 credits
Global Protection of Human Rights will provide a general introduction to human rights and the essential knowledge of the human rights safeguarding mechanisms. It will introduce the theory and practice of human rights and then the regional structure of the United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe (CE), the Organisation of American States (OAS), and the African Union (AU). You will learn how to research the region’s legislation, the special procedures mechanisms, and then how to interpret the adjudication by the region’s judicial bodies.
Criminal Justice Process & Procedure
20 credits
Criminal Justice Process and Procedure aims to provide you with essential foundational knowledge of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, building upon what you have learned about the criminal justice system in English Legal Systems in Semester 1.
This module will introduce you to a range of contemporary issues in criminal justice, enabling you to develop key transferrable skills, such as legal research, written and oral communication, team-work and ability to formulate coherent, persuasive and well-reasoned arguments. This module will therefore provide essential foundational knowledge and transferrable skills to support your study in Human Rights and Criminal Justice and Crime and Punishment at Level 5, and for Advanced Criminal Law and Evidence, Proof and Argument at level 6.
Introduction to Mooting
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with the underlying skills which are required for advocacy. The module provides foundational knowledge to support your study in Advanced Mooting at Levels 6 by considering different court structures, presentation skills and the rules of legal language and court etiquette, building upon the study of Legal Systems in Semester 1 of Level 4.
This module will provide you with the opportunity to consider how to conduct the legal research which is required for court advocacy and consider the ways in which this can be used in order to form persuasive arguments. It will also consider the ethical implications which might arise in court advocacy. It will do this by means of a rich, diverse and inclusive learning, teaching, assessment and feedback experience where you are given the opportunity to work within teams to build understanding as well as giving you the opportunity to work independently on tasks.
All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Year Two
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all of the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
Land Law & Property Practice
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with an understanding of the legal principles and rules involved in land law and an introduction to property transactions (also known as conveyancing). You will consider how they operate in the wider social and economic context and the legal ethics of property transactions.
The module builds on the transferable skills that you developed in Professional Skills and Critical Thinking at Level 4 by developing the skills acquired .The module also provides foundational knowledge to support your study in the optional module Advanced Property.
Criminal Law
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts and principles of criminal law together with some of the criminal offences against the person and against property and some general defences.
The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems and Criminal Justice Process at Level 4.It also provides foundational knowledge to support subsequent Level 5 and 6 Criminal Justice pathway options by the introduction of concepts, processes and ideology.
Professional Skills
20 credits
The module aims to providing you with an opportunity to develop certain transferable skills, principally oral skills, but also written skills and professional ethics. Workshops will take place in dedicated courtroom space to foster a professional approach.
The module builds on what you have already learned in Foundations in Professional Skills at Level 4 by developing your confidence further through the practice of oral and written skills, and by recognition of the need for resilience and emotional intelligence. The module also acts as a preparation for clinical placement modules studied later at Levels 5 and 6 by equipping you with oral, written and ethical awareness.
Constitutional & Administrative Law
20 credits
Building on the knowledge of British political and legal institutions that you acquired in Legal Systems at Level 4, this module will allow you to explore the UK constitutional framework in greater depth, and key constitutional principles that underpin British democracy.
You will develop a critical understanding of those UK constitutional institutions and you will also conduct research into the impact of Brexit on the sovereignty of the UK Parliament and Constitution. Judicial and non-court based mechanisms of control of governmental action, such as judicial review and Parliamentary Ombudsman, will be considered and you will critically assess the case-law that forms the basis of the unwritten British constitution.
Business Law
20 credits
The module will provide you with a comprehensive overview of key legal principles which determine and oversee business structures carrying out economic activities. In addition to addressing the available legal channels for conducting business, the module will also focus on the formation, management and decision-making procedures in private limited companies.
This module builds on knowledge acquired in the Contract Law module at level 4 and in particular, your prior knowledge of the formation of contracts will be relevant to further discussions on commercial arrangements where business organisations are contractual parties.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:
Alternative Dispute Resolution
20 credits
The module aims to balance both theoretical and practical elements of ADR, including negotiation, mediation and arbitration. The module provides fundamental knowledge and transferable skills used in the placement modules or clinical placement modules by providing you with workplace and dispute resolution skills.
Through participation and engagement with authentic simulations, the module will enable you to foster the development of your autonomy by working in teams, as well as developing your professional and ethical attributes through experiential learning, all of which are part of our ethos to incorporate a rigorous, liberal research and practice-informed education in law.
Level 5 Placement Module
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to work on real cases within a supervised setting either within Citizens Advice (CA) or at another placement provider.
If working with Citizens Advice you will start training two days per week from the July at the end of Level 4 for a period of 8 weeks and then from the start of Level 5 you will work one day per week at a CA office.
If working with another placement provider, it is likely you will start work at the beginning of Semester One of Level 5. The time is used to develop transferable skills at your placement.
Corporate Insolvency Law
20 credits
The module will focus on the law relating to corporate insolvency law. It addresses the various mechanisms offered to businesses experiencing financial difficulties with a view to either liquidate or rescue the company.
The module focuses on core concepts and principles of corporate insolvency, such as the evolution and rationales of corporate insolvency law; the sources, definitions and objectives of insolvency law; the causes of corporate failure; the creditor/debtor relationship; and the liquidation/rescue dichotomy. It also engages with the issues of cross-border insolvency law and the position of the United Kingdom on the international insolvency scene. This module is of particular relevance for students wishing to understand what tools exist for failing businesses.
Employment Law
20 credits
This module will examine the fast-moving field of employment law and employment-related equality law You will engage with the relevant legal rules, and you will also analyse the wider significance of these rules in reflecting and in shaping society and the economy.
This approach will facilitate a highly imaginative and contextual analysis of the law. The module is both very practical, in that employment law remains a relevant area of legal practice, and, on the other hand, is outward-looking and intensely topical, in that a day barely goes by without a major news story touching upon employment or equality issues and how these are treated in law.
Human Rights & Criminal Justice
20 credits
This module will consider the relationship between the aims and purpose of the Criminal Justice System, the need to protect the public and fight crime with the requirement to protect the Human Rights of suspects and offenders.
The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems and Criminal Justice Process at Level 4 and Criminal Law at Level 5 by building upon your knowledge of the foundations of criminal law and the processes through which those charged and convicted of a criminal offences pass and their human rights at each stage. It will also provide foundational knowledge to support your study in Advanced Criminal Law and Evidence, Proof and Argument at Level 6 by the introduction of concepts, processes and ideology.
Medical Law & Ethics
20 credits
The module builds on what you have learned in Criminal Law and Tort Law at Level 4 and complements your learning on Constitutional and Administrative Law at Level 5 by helping you master public, civil and criminal legal elements of the law surrounding medical treatment. This module will help you develop a critical and well-rounded approach to analysing complex medical decisions by using both legal theories as well as ethical approaches. This will enable you to independently assess a variety of legal and non-legal viewpoints and formulate reasoned positions in a clear and coherent manner.
Advanced Property Practice
20 credits
The module aims to provide you with an understanding of domestic and commercial property law processes and transactions. You will consider how they operate in the wider social and economic context with particular consideration of planning law and commercial controls.
The module builds on what you will have learned in Property Law and Practice at Level 5 by developing and expanding upon the threshold concepts of Land Law and the introduction to conveyancing. By consideration of social and economic factors, the module also links with Business Law.
All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Final Year
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all of the following CORE modules (totalling 80 credits):
Equity & Trusts
20 credits
The module aims to introduce the concept of equity and how it interacts with the law to create the trust by building on what you have learned in Contract Law and Land Law at Levels 4 and 5 about equitable remedies and property ownership.
This module will develop your ability to undertake independent research while critically analysing the way in which the law applies to real life scenarios. It will do this by incorporating a rich, diverse and inclusive learning environment which draws upon the knowledge which you have already gained and challenging your understanding through group work and interactive materials taking a student-led approach.
Law of the European Union
20 credits
The module aims to familiarise you with the Law of the European Union, combining the study of theoretical and practical elements and the procedural and substantive foundations. The module examines and evaluates the structural organisation of the EU and the way its legal processes operate. This module contextualises the rules that derive from Europe within the legal institutional framework and also the way in which those rules affect business and wider society.
The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems at Level 4 and Constitutional & Administrative Law at Level 5 as it relates to the relationship between the structure of the EU and the English legal system, taking into account the UK’s status as a Third Party Country under EU Law.
You will also choose one of the following:
Dissertation
40 credits
The module aims to provide you with an intellectually stimulating and academically rigorous education in the preparation and successful completion of a dissertation. The module will explore some of the key aspects involved in the preparation of a dissertation which will be approached through a critical examination of the current law relevant to the chosen topic and through an emphasis on how the subject of the dissertation operates in context.
American Legal Practice*
40 credits
American Legal Practice (ALP) is an optional module. To be eligible for this module you must average a 2:1 across Level 4 and Level 5.
ALP prepares and facilitates you to apply for an internship in law a legal organisation in the United States (US), developing your legal systems knowledge and legal practice skill-set, and supporting you to create a high quality CV and Cover Letter as part of your career planning.
*Students wishing to study this module are subject to academic requirements specified by the Module Team
The United Nations: Law & Practice
40 credits
This module will provide you with critical knowledge of international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. It presents an overview of the Charter of the United Nations and engages with the International Bill of Rights and associated international legislation.
The module provides a simulated crisis and humanitarian disaster wherein you will engage in a Model United Nations’ Security Council. The crisis issues include: the necessity for a sanctions regime to stop the human rights violations of--genocide, torture, executions, famine, mass casualty medicine and the spread of disease, closure of schools, and border controls. To help solve the crisis, you will participate in the MUN through: (a) providing a UNSC speech; (b) engage in an alliance building activity with fellow member states, and; (c) draft a UNSC Resolution. The module will provide a critical examination of the historical and political backgrounds of the legal architecture of the UN, and how it works in practice.
Law in Practice
40 credits
Selection for the module is through application and interview.
The module aims to enhance your existing problem-solving skills, and provide you with opportunities to develop your ethical awareness and transferable employability skills through casework either in our Law Clinic, or on a pro bono placement (e.g. with Citizens Advice), in private practice, or in a clinical arbitration setting.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:
Students may study up to 40 credits of the following modules:
Advanced Mooting
20 credits
This is an optional module which introduces you to the key skills required in becoming an advocate including threshold concepts such as courtroom etiquette and roles, preparation of written submissions and oral advocacy skills. The module builds on what you have learned in Contract, Tort, Criminal and Land Lawat Levels 4 and 5 by engaging with and applying the law within a moot scenario as well being challenged on the application of key principles.
You will consider the professional attributes required for legal advocacy through a rich, diverse and inclusive learning experience which uses a range of different methods including group work and practical sessions as well as the opportunity to observe legal advocacy in practice with a courtroom visit.
Comparative Constitutional Models
20 credits
This is an optional module which aims to introduce you to the methodology and classifications of comparative constitutional study with particular reference to four so-called constitutional families: Romanistic, Germanic, Anglo-American and Nordic. You will study the different systems of government (presidentialism, parliamentarism and semi-presidentialism) and the mechanisms for distribution of power (unitary, federal and mixed states).
The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems and in Constitutional and Administrative Law at Level 4 and at Level 5. You will compare the history and characteristics of the English legal system with other legal systems.
Equality Law
20 credits
The module aims to introduce students to the domestic, supranational and international forms of equality law. The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems at Level 4 by expanding on your understanding of human rights and international law and its influence on our domestic legislation and equality rights.
This module will develop your autonomy by requiring you to conduct research independently and consider the way in which the law applies in practice and its theoretical and social background. It will do this by incorporating a rich, diverse and student-centric approach to teaching. Students will engage in team work, student-led research and presentations which will help to build on scholarly and personal development by challenging ideas, beliefs and understandings.
Family Law
20 credits
Family Law is an optional module of the LLB and focuses upon the law relating to marriage and separation, divorce, disputes involving children, cohabitation and domestic violence.
The module will build upon your studies in Level 5 Constitutional and Administrative Law, related to European Convention of Human rights and the impact it has on family life.
The module provides a solid grounding in black letter law and an appreciation of social and policy implications that underpin and inform the legal processes related to the family. The module’s approach to learning, teaching and assessment is practice-informed as it will require you to apply the law in a practical context by constructing realistic advice to reach solutions to family law utilising realistic case-studies, enabling you to apply and consolidate knowledge.
Jurisprudence
20 credits
This module provides you with a critical and immersive introduction to the philosophy of law and justice in a way which allows you to understand, explore and explain the nature of law, its place in society, and its relationship with justice and morality.
The module will furnish you with an empowering framework to develop and explain your own understandings of law and legal concepts in a manner which allows you to engage with influential ideas which have shaped modern legal systems and societies. The module will introduce you to exciting and radical ways of understanding law and its role and also the skills and methods which allow you to challenge these ideas and generate your own perspectives.
Dispute Resolution & Business Transactions
40 credits
This module will act as a bridge between your undergraduate studies and post-graduate professional legal studies.
The module aims to introduce basic procedures involved in civil litigation and dispute resolution, criminal litigation, property transactions and business structures, reflecting some of the problems encountered within legal practice. You will be introduced to issues of professional conduct and also the funding and costs implications of your advice.
Students may study a maximum of 20 credits from the following modules:
American Criminal Procedure & Evidence
20 credits
American Criminal Procedure & Evidence will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the American criminal justice process; teaching key criminal procedure and evidence frameworks through "relational learning.” This technique involves you learning substantive law through the lens of real case materials. This module focuses on case materials pertaining to the case of Ray Krone. Krone was the 100th person to be exonerated by post-conviction DNA testing in the USA. He was wrongly convicted twice of a crime he did not commit and spent numerous years on death row.
Human Rights in America
20 credits
It will also be relevant to those studying human rights modules across the course. The module provides an opportunity to study how America engages with human rights in the context of international law and foreign relations through the United Nations’ international human rights mechanism, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This module is directly related to the Centre of Human Rights’ “UPR Project at BCU.”
This module provides fundamental knowledge and transferrable skills used in the United Nations Law and Practice module. If you have studied other modules on the American Legal Studies pathway, it will further develop your autonomous understanding of US legal systems and research.
Students may study a maximum of 20 credits from the following modules:
Competition Law
20 credits
This module will examine how businesses interact in the market and the laws that govern market manipulations. The module will enable you to consider commercial behaviour and what happens when businesses violate competition laws in the United Kingdom (UK). You will study legal regulation and theory relating to the UK economy.
Corporate Crime & UK Tax Law
20 credits
This is an optional module offered as part of the LLB in International Business Law pathway. It considers the nature of corporate crime in the UK with specific focus on tax avoidance and evasion practices which may amount to crimes under UK law.
The module seeks to develop a critical understanding of the socio-economic impact of corporate tax avoidance and evasion by considering different theories on the nature of harm caused (e.g. profit maximisation and shareholder duty; corporate citizenship; public interest and expenditure). Methods of attributing corporate criminal liability under UK law are analysed, along with practices that amount to tax avoidance and evasion and which may constitute crimes. Reference is made to UK statutes and case law, and case studies are used to provide insight into tax avoidance and evasion practices.
Intellectual Property Law
20 credits
The module will provide a general overview of the ways in which a person’s ideas, inventions, business reputation and creations can be protected both nationally and internationally. Intellectual property can be defined as those products of the mind to which the law grants the author/creator legal protection and hence the enhanced ability to exploit. You will examine the reasons behind intellectual property laws including a review of copyright, patents and trademarks.
Legal Technology
20 credits
The rapid advancement of technology is disrupting all industries, including the legal sector. Businesses, large and small, are embracing technology as a means to improve their services meeting clients’ needs and satisfaction.
The module aims to give you an insight into the application and operation of technology in different aspects of contemporary legal practice. Employers value digital fluency and technology skills so this module enhances compatible transferable skills.
Students may study a maximum of 20 credits from the following modules:
Advanced Criminal Law
20 credits
This module aims to provide you with an opportunity to examine in detail and critically reflect on some of the more complex criminal law principles and doctrines, as well as their underlying rationales.
The module builds on what you have learned in Legal System at Level 4, Criminal Law at level 5 and the Criminal Justice pathway modules that you have studied across Levels 4 & 5. As such you will be encouraged to consolidate your legal knowledge and use it to reflect on the scope of criminal law and critically analyse a variety of conceptual, moral and policy issues affecting criteria for attributing responsibility and blame to those who breach criminal prohibitions.
Crime & Punishment
20 credits
The aim of this module is to develop your understanding of the Criminal Justice System by examining due process in trial procedure and the aims and purposes of sentencing following conviction. It will provide you with an understanding of the fundamental principles of law and legal theory.
The module builds on what you have learned in Criminal Justice Process and Procedure at Level 4, by building upon your knowledge of process and procedure within our Criminal Justice System and from the Level 5 Human Rights and Criminal Justice module, which introduced a range of concepts, processes and ideology.
Evidence, Proof & Argument
20 credits
Evidence, Proof and Argument aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the rules of criminal evidence and procedure in England and Wales. Your learning will revolve around a fictitious case studies, akin to a real-life case. The case study will provide you with a ‘practice-led’ experience in identifying and solving evidential issues that may arise in a criminal law trial, and by using authentic pre-trial documents, including witness statements, statements of proof and interview transcripts.
All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
