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 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.

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.

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.

Want to gain hands-on experience of providing legal advice? Study the issues around giving advice, then put your knowledge into practice by training as an advisor with the University of Essex’s Law Clinic. Under supervision, deal with topics like debt, social security, housing law, consumer law, immigration law and mediation.

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.

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.