Keele Badge

LAW-20038 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2021/22 Last Updated: 16 February 2022

LAW-20038 - Law and ethics
Coordinator: Stella M Coyle Room: CBC1.028 Tel: +44 1782 7 34363
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733218

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

Cynics may suggest that the words 'ethics' and 'lawyers' are not commonly seen together. This module will ask you to cast aside such cliched prejudice and to examine the important role of ethics within the law. This examination will include both abstract consideration of "ethics" and ethical argumentation from a strict philosophical viewpoint, but also how ethics influences, and should influence, law-makers in practice. Topics covered in previous years have included issues relating to punishment, decriminalisation, autonomy at the end of life, and abortion and reproductive rights. Ethical engagement and the ability to draw on ethical reasoning is increasingly signalled as a key area of concern for the legal profession by its regulators and as a key attribute for future lawyers. This module enables you to develop these skills and attributes, in advance of it being required as a formal part of a Qualifying Law Degree.

Aims
To introduce students to the major structures required to understand and reflect on the relationship of ethics and law.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/law-20038/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

Recognise and evaluate the major philosophical traditions underlying the structure of ethical thinking and understand and assess the new challenges that are being offered to these traditions in the twenty-first century. will be achieved by assessments: 1 and 2
Understand and critically appraise those ethical principles and their development and offer a reasoned analysis of the nature of their application to the law and the legal system in Britain will be achieved by assessments: 1 and 2
Recognise and explore the particular ethical problems arising in the context of legal professional practice and critically assess the professions&© response to those problems will be achieved by assessments: 1 and 2

Study hours

Seminar attendance 18 hours
Seminar preparation 36 hours
Additional reading 36 hours
Assignment preparation 60 hours
Total = 150 hours


School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Group Presentation weighted 15%
A series of oral presentations
In or about weeks 5/6/7, an oral group presentation by teams of approx 6 students based on consideration of a book or film to be assessed by the module leader. Students will be assessed on both their individual contribution to the presentation and the team's effort. Clear guidelines will be given to students ahead of the presentation as to how marks will be awarded. The presentation topics will relate loosely to the titles set for the summative essay.

2: Essay weighted 85%
3000 word research essay


Please note that for the 2021/22 Academic Year all programmes will be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there will be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 16 February 2022