Aims

LAW3000 constitutes a non-credit bearing module in which all the present-in-person activities to be undertaken in Stage Three are recorded. These in-person activities would normally form specific aspects of the activities to be conducted within modules, as well as additional enrichment and skills-based activities, which for ease of comprehensive and timetabling are being combined in this module. One of the particular priorities for the Stage Three module is the development of a strong sense of community, cohesion and inclusion during their final year of study.

Outline Of Syllabus

The activities to be carried out in the context of this module are as follows:

Law-school specific induction activities

Skills-related activity

Consideration of further academic study and reflection on their studies thus far

A special session dedicated to the US election and the potential legal ramifications of the election results

Community building round-table activities

An activity dedicated to reflecting on the experiences in semester one, as well as hopes and expectations for semester two

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Induction: As an introduction to the Law School and operating in conjunction with the university-level induction, there will be one present-in-person induction lecture which is used to reintegrate students into the Law School, refreshing students on policies and processes and introducing the structure of their final year of study.

Skills session: There will be one two-hour-long skills session that focuses on the advanced skills of research and analysis required at Stage Three, in which students have more independence in navigating assessments, particularly in the context of writing research projects and dissertations.

Law and film series: As part of a ‘law in context’ approach to legal education, in which students are encouraged to think further on issues raised in the context of their programme of study generally as well as their modules specifically, two movies will be shown pertinent to the modules studied. The movie to be shown will have an explicitly legal focus, or alternatively, deal with a particular issue or social phenomena that have legal dimensions relevant to their modules of study (for example public law or land law). Students will then engage in a brief discussion about the potential legal issues arising in that movie, with students then being able to write a blog post about the issues identified. The best blog post for each movie will win a prize.

US election event: While the US election does not have direct consequences in the UK, or for UK graduates per se, it nevertheless is a highly significant event that may have indirect consequences and repercussions not only for the US, but the world as well, in terms of international relations, trade, and the rule of law. A one-hour-long event to take place after the election results come in will focus on the impact of this election, what it could mean for a range of legal issues both in the US and internationally, as well as future US-UK relations.

Roundtable activities: As a means of building a greater sense of community between students, demonstrating the research of colleagues in the Law School and demonstrating the real-world applicability of legal analysis, there will be two two-hour-long rountable events in which colleagues in the Law School will discuss a topical development, with students being able to ask questions or provide their own thoughts. Indicative issues could include COVID-19 vaccination and the intellectual property-related licensing issues and the idea of compulsory vaccinations, or the status of talks between the UK and EU in the event that there is no trade agreement concluded before the beginning of the academic year.

‘Considering postgraduate study?’ event: For students who may not necessarily be considering immediate employment upon completion of their studies, or for students involved in taking their studies further, a two-hour-long event discussing options for postgraduate study, either in the UK or elsewhere, and the range of different subjects that could be pursued by students, as well as the career trajectories of individuals with postgraduate qualifications will be held. Students will hear from academics, current and former LLM students, as well as PhD students about their decisions, the opportunities and challenges that postgraduate study present.

‘Reflections and predictions’ event: This event held at the end of semester one will be an opportunity for Stage Three students to be able to consider their studies thus far, the challenges and rewards of their studies in the context of their final year of study and the circumstances in which they attended. Students will also be able to discuss their hopes and fears for the second semester and final rounds of assessment, while providing informal feedback on how they felt teaching activities worked in the first semester in order to take these concerns into account with teaching in the second semester.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

**No Assessment applies to this Module**