Final Year, Component 05

This module builds on the foundations laid in the first year and introduces students to the institutions that uphold and enforce international human rights standards, as well as the multidisciplinary nature of Human Rights and Social Justice.

How does the international system enhance the advancement of human rights? And how does it constrain it? Study the international system and its influence on human rights. Examine the role of foreign policy instruments in promoting human rights. Analyse how human rights can advance foreign policy goals by states.

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 .

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.

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.

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.

The module introduces students to the re-emergent interdisciplinary field of law and psychoanalysis. Uniquely, it will examine both how psychoanalytic insights may contribute to legal thinking, as well as how legal thinking may contribute to psychoanalytic theory and practice. From its earliest days psychoanalysis has had a link to the law. Hans Kelsen was a part of Sigmund Freud’s Vienna circle in the 1920s. Starting with US judges such as Jerome Frank and Benjamin Cardozo (who both underwent analysis), psychoanalytic insights had a strong influence in developing the theory of legal realism. In the 1960s the law and psychoanalysis project at Yale Law School included seminars led by Anna Freud.

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 has been designed to enable students to integrate their subject knowledge with an understanding of sustainable development, acquiring the skills and competencies essential for addressing the urgent sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

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.

This module offers an introduction to Canadian Constitutional Law, shedding light on the unique composition of Canada’s constitutional framework and how it is shaped and interpreted by political and legal institutions within a multicultural society. It serves as a comparative lens to understand constitutional frameworks, drawing parallels with the USA and other Common Law nations. The module underscores the unique history and characteristics of Canada’s federal state and constitutional system, illustrating their relevance both as independent subjects of study and as comparative models in constitutional studies. A principal aspect of the module is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, recognised for its influential role in shaping legal thinking in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. The module also navigates through the foundational aspects and sources of the Canadian Constitution. It explores the distinctive trajectory of Canada's constitutional arrangements and the rich Canadian constitutional literature, which has played a pivotal role in international constitutional discourse.

Are there alternatives to going to court? How can parties to a dispute settle their issues without the expense of a lengthy court battle? In this module we will introduce students to the theoretical, practical and ethical aspects of Civil Dispute Resolution as they apply in England and Wales. The module focuses on key aspects of dispute resolution in the civil law field and covers diverse topics, such as the merits of bringing a claim, negotiating with clients, alternative forms of dispute resolution including mediation, negotiation, and arbitration, ethical considerations, as well as the key practical issues that arise when bringing or defending a civil claim.

How do digital technologies and their regulation impact on society? We are currently living in a “digital society”. It suffices to think about our daily private communications, the electronic systems often used to book public services, the facial recognition systems used to control States’ borders or the blockchain technology employed to conclude and perform contracts. All these activities are carried out via digital systems. These new technologies have prompted a new wave of regulation concerning data management, online platforms, artificial intelligence, and algorithms. However, not all societal areas impacted by technologies are currently governed through sector-specific regulation, leaving several questions on adapting pre-existing frameworks and whether new ad-hoc rules are required.

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

This module will introduce you to the core issues of public international economic law. It will address how public international trade, investment, and monetary laws interact to protect states' economic interests. Students will also learn to critically analyse current debates in international economic law so they are prepared to work in this sphere in the future.