Is torture ever morally justified? Should pornography be banned? Should prostitution be legalised? Take part in the intellectual search for the moral principles that should govern how we answer these questions and others in governing public policy.

Understand how different statistical and experimental methods can be used to answer questions about political phenomena. You evaluate the assumptions of standard statistical tests and the linear regression model, consider alternatives to those, and learn about causal inference.

Examine how people reason about voting and politics, and why people vote the way that they do. You consider the effects of institutions such as the electoral system or the number of political parties on voting behaviour, using case studies from elections in Britain and other advanced democracies.

How do interest groups influence the trajectory of a country's foreign policy? Who benefits and gains from globalisation and how does this affect their political beliefs? In this module, we will explore how domestic politics and interests influence government's decisions in the international arena, and how international politics affect domestic politics.

In this module you will examine corruption, a global problem that is present in dictatorships as well as democracies, in developing and more developed societies alike. In particular, you'll focus on the impact of corruption on democratic regimes. At the extreme, corruption hampers economic development, reinforces social inequality, and undermines democratic development generally. You will start by defining corruption and discuss alternative tools to evaluate the extent of corruption within a given polity. You'll then examine the causes and consequence of corruption (both political and bureaucratic). Last, but not least, you'll evaluate existing strategies to contain and control this problem.

Explore German politics against the backdrop of the country’s troubled history, investigating its institutions forming a ‘militant democracy’, an adaptive party system and active social movements as the main channels for participation, and the challenging societal, cultural and economic transformation after World War II and reunification into the current ‘Berlin Republic’

This module aims to provide students with a detailed knowledge of how the UK Parliament works (in both theory and practice). Subject to validation, this module is co-taught by staff at the Houses of Parliament and has the support of The Speaker and the Clerk of the House in the House of Commons, and the Lord Speaker and the Clerk of the Parliaments in the House of Lords. The module content is delivered collaboratively by the Houses of Parliament and the University of Essex, with the University providing academic and theoretical content and Parliament providing practical and vocational teaching about the work, processes and business of Parliament.

Explore German politics against the backdrop of the country’s troubled history, investigating its institutions forming a ‘militant democracy’, an adaptive party system and active social movements as the main channels for participation, and the challenging societal, cultural and economic transformation after World War II and reunification into the current ‘Berlin Republic’.

Politics is about people. Everything – angry tweeting, constitutional design, environmental lobbying, states going to war – boils down to the opinions, decisions and behaviour of individuals, and understanding those is the territory of psychology. Political psychology is a growing and thriving subfield, to which this module provides a wide-ranging introduction.

The field of security studies has become increasingly important over the last decade. While old conflicts are reigniting and new ones are emerging, scholars and decision-makers debate about changes to the concepts of security, the redundancy of military force, and the centrality of the state in order to face these ever-important issues.

War narratives and studies of political violence have traditionally focused on the roles and actions of men. Women have typically been framed as innocent bystanders and victims. Yet, women often actively participate in civil wars and in terrorist campaigns, either as civilian supporters of these groups or as armed fighters. In addition to acknowledging the profound impact that civil conflicts have on women, this course explores the many important roles that women often play in terrorist and rebel organizations and examines women's potential contributions to post-war peace building and conflict resolution. The objective of the course is that you will gain a better understanding of the roles women play in the production and resolution of political violence and the manner in which gender and gender attitudes influence war and armed conflict.

In this module, you’ll gain an introduction to the domestic politics of Israel in a comparative perspective, including issues of internal cultural diversity, religion and politics, fragmentation of the political party system, and coalition governance. You’ll explore political institutions, parties, and voting behaviour in Israel, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the state of Israel as a democratic country, understand the Israeli political structure, and discuss the electoral arena.

This module explores the relation between gender and political theory by focusing on the work of feminist theorists, the critiques they have developed of mainstream understandings of key political concepts, and how they have sought to 'en-gender' those concepts. Themes may include the public/private divide, equality, intersectionality, democracy, power, rights, justice.

Theories of justice are still being worked on and developed today. You question contemporary theories of justice through applying them to some of the most controversial issues dominating contemporary politics.

This module explores the nature and foundations of international obligations. It asks what we owe to people in other countries, and what they can demand of us as a matter of right. Questions to be addressed include the following: Who owes what to the very poor? Are citizens of affluent countries complicit in the creation and maintenance of world poverty? Does justice demand the elimination of global inequality? Is the promotion of human rights a form of western cultural imperialism? When is international trade unfair? Do states have a right to close their borders to outsiders? Under what conditions (if any) is it permissible to wage war? We will address these questions by considering the answers that they have received in important recent works of normative political theory.

Study one of the most important contemporary aspects of political action: the natural environment. You consider the state of the environment and possible paths along which it might change, before exploring environmental policies from the level of individual values to the environmental movement to political parties, and finally to the level of international affairs.

This course is about how representative democracy works in Europe. We will examine several topics within the European context, including: public opinion, political participation, political parties, electoral systems, party competition, and how to evaluate democracies. We will also develop specific knowledge about several European countries, by learning how the political institutions (several are mentioned above) function within them. The course also provides an accessible introduction to research design and methods that political scientists have used to address these topics.

Prepare an 8,000 word dissertation which researches the political topic you are most passionate about.

This module will examine the interrelationship between law and literature from a variety of perspectives. The module reflects research interests of staff in the Law School and Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies. There is increasing academic interest in interdisciplinary study in law, and there is an established body of scholarship examining the relationship between law and literature from a variety of perspectives. The perspectives examined in the module will include, but not be confined to, the representation of law in literature, legal texts as literature and how techniques of literary interpretation can inform the study and understanding of law. The module will also present the opportunity for students to examine the nature of interdisciplinary work, exemplified by the study of law and literature.

This module provides an insight into the major legal questions facing the media, and an appreciation of the complexity of journalism and publication generally in a global context. You consider a broad outline of the principal areas of UK law that apply to the media, and which are set in turn against broader principles as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. A range of themes around Article 6 (Fair Trial), Article 8 (Privacy) and Article 10 (Free Speech) will be explored against practice and issues in a selection of other jurisdictions, including the UK’s equivalent focus on Contempt, Confidentiality and Libel .

This module is intended to provide you with a broad understanding the main theoretical frameworks of media and journalism to develop their critical appraisal of the interconnected communication world of today. This module is intended to provide you with a broad understanding the main theoretical frameworks of media and journalism to develop their critical appraisal of the interconnected communication world of today. It is aimed primarily at students looking to develop a research career in journalism or media studies as well as those students looking to acquire a critical approach to journalistic practice. It will also be interesting to students of Government and Sociology who are interested in understanding the big debates around the media and the relationships with politics and society. Each week a current event will be discussed in the seminar as well. The module will equip students with the knowledge, theoretical frameworks, and critical tools to unpack the complexities of contemporary networked newsrooms. It will provide the conceptual framework required to analyze and comprehend our interconnected communication sphere. The module will be open to students from LIFTS who want to critically reflect on the professional practice and to students from Government and Sociology who would be eager to acquire analytical tools that would support their interdisciplinary research.

What is the relationship between comparative law and the EU? What about the UN? Examine current theoretical debates to comparative law. Analyse the methodology available to conduct comparative research. Undertake a micro comparison on a particular legal topic, gaining experience of the concepts and methods through your own work.

This module builds on Foundations of Public Law. The research-led teaching for this module provides insights into several areas of public law that are not always available in standard texts and are designed to enable detailed consideration of issues that are of current importance and the subject of research within the School of Law.

What are the legal implications of family breakdown when the parties are married? Or when they are civil partners? How does this change if they have children? Examine key features of family law, including the protective function (relating to domestic violence), adjustment of property rights and responsibilities of family members.

What are the rules governing state responsibility? Or the acquisition of statehood? How do you apply international law to notions of jurisdiction? Study the theories and concepts behind public international law, plus new developments in the field. Learn to apply relevant principles to specific case studies.

How do states behave with regards to their own people? What about their territory? How do they behave to others? Build on your knowledge of public international law regarding human rights, the law of the sea, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the use of force.

You’ll cover the legal aspects of banking transactions, banking regulation and the bank-customer relationship. You’ll be introduced to the concept as banks as economic and social institutions and their regulation in a domestic and global context. You’ll analyse the bank-customer relationship including the important issues of contractual fairness, the banks duty of confidentiality, and the potential for transactional and advisory liability.

What are the main corporate management issues today? What is the legislative framework for insolvency and takeovers? Have corporate scandals changed modern company law? Examine the rules that govern companies, building knowledge for a career in commerce and industry. Evaluate real-life cases to understand statutes, case law and regulatory practice.

How significant is patient autonomy? What are the ethical issues around consent to medical treatment? How effective is the law in dealing with medical negligence? Study the general principles of medical law, assessing current topics and real-life case studies. Examine the legal issues and ethical considerations in medical law.

Want to experience a practice-based role in a legal environment? Undertake a placement to deepen and apply your understanding of law to a real-world setting. Build your personal and professional skills, including oral and written communication skills, problem solving skills and the ability to reflect on your work.

How do you apply the law to contracts between business parties? What about contracts between private consumers? Examine the key legal and policy issues surrounding the regulation of contracts. Understand and critically evaluate the rules, then apply this knowledge to hypothetical problem situations.

How do you apply the law to contracts between business parties? How would you resolve a problem with faulty goods? Or issues around globalisation? Examine the key legal and policy issues surrounding the regulation of business contracts. Understand and evaluate the rules, then apply this knowledge to real-life case studies.

What role do political institutions play in protecting human rights? How do judicial and political institutions interact on this? What reforms are needed? Examine the Human Rights Act 1998, focusing closely on particular sections. Apply your knowledge to substantive legal problems and critically evaluate existing law on human rights.

What is the nature of the legal relationship between employers and employees? Study the practical application of employment law to the settlement of workplace disputes while gaining practical skills in drafting and advocacy before an employment tribunal.

Jurisprudence is a module that enables you to think in depth about how law works and the impact it has on the society around us. For example: How is law different to other rules and principles? Should law reflect moral opinion, and if so, how do we decide what is moral? Can judges really be objective when they make decisions? How do we judge if law is making society fairer? The module covers many key theoretical approaches to understanding what law is and how it functions. In doing so, we will look at the relationship (and conflicts) between law, on the one hand, and politics, markets, and social justice on the other. You will be asked to think for yourself about these issues, and reflect on which perspectives provide us with the most accurate, and the most useful, ways of thinking about law.

Can previous criminal convictions of the defendant or a witness be presented to the court? How are vulnerable witnesses (like rape complainants or children) protected by the court system? Can an illegally obtained confession be used in court? Study the process and procedure involved in presenting evidence at trials.

How do we define cybercrime? What further changes are needed to the law? Examine the historical development of law in this area, analysing key statutes and cases. Review regional and international frameworks, and how they interact with national criminal law. Critically assess the multiple discourses regulating cybercrime and the internet.

How do you apply competition law to mergers? Or to deal with the abuse of a dominant position? Discuss EU and UK competition law. Examine the relationship between the EU and UK competition law regimes, and critically evaluate its operation in a commercial environment. Assess recent developments in this field.

Want practical experience of providing legal advice? Work within the Essex Law Clinic, receiving supervision and training to provide assistance on topics like employment, housing, benefits and consumer matters. Develop your abilities in interviewing, client care, networking and teamwork, as well as general office skills.

This module introduces you to the international legal and governance mechanisms concerning the environment. It examines key principles under international law related to the environment, such as sustainable development and precaution. It then goes on to consider salient aspects of international environmental law as it applies to specific regimes such as those related to climate change, biodiversity protection, freshwater management and the management of hazardous waste. It also considers the relationship that exists between international environmental law and other areas of law that intersect with it, such as human rights and the law of armed conflict. Throughout the module it will introduce you to the structural dimensions of existing international environmental law that have resulted from North-South relations and provides you with a basis upon which consideration can be given to the related issues of equity, common but differentiated responsibility and environmental justice.

Islamic Law (Shariah) is present in many legal fields ranging from contract, to property, to criminal law. Various jurisdictions have adopted particular systems of regulation for specific sectors due to its significance. This module places particular emphasis on the history of Islamic law and its place in modern society. You are challenged with demonstrating a critical understanding of the key concepts and approaches to Islamic law and the ability to analyse and evaluate differing opinions on legal and ethical arguments.

Commercial Awareness is a critical requirement for law (and other) firms in the recruitment process. This module aims to help you understand how organisations grow and develop, build customer bases, recognise tangible and intangible assets, and identify key considerations around cost structures and revenue streams. The module is designed to develop an awareness of how businesses operate and how they navigate changing landscapes.

In this module you’ll gain a detailed understanding of the law governing data protection, and in particular European Union law on this subject.