LAW8576 : Law and Digital Society (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Prof. Oles Andriychuk
- Lecturer: Professor Lilian Edwards, Dr Tanya Krupiy
- Owning School: Newcastle Law School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
European Credit Transfer System |
Aims
The aim of this course is to provide students with a cutting edge understanding of the legal, social and economic challenges created by increasingly digital economies. Focusing on the establishment, harmonisation and maturing of ‘Digital Markets’, this module touches upon a range of different areas of contemporary interest in an area of rapid technological and legal adaptation. Rather than being overly formalistic in its approach to the regulation of online transactions, it instead considers the formation of digital markets and the role of law in facilitating, structuring or correcting them. While it provides general categories to be considered each year, such as the formation of online contracts, the use of digital currencies and issues of competition law, the module is designed to be highly adaptive, focusing on the problems or developments occurring within a particular year. For this reason, this module draws from a wide range of subject experts in the Law School, as well as being supplemented by guest lecturers talking about areas within their research or practice expertise. The key objectives of this module are as follows: -
1. To introduce students to the concept of ‘digital’ markets, and the increasing interconnectedness, interdependence and variances between different national and regional regimes;
2. To provide students with a dedicated case study in the form of the EU’s advanced policies and projects on the development of a Digital Single Market for good and remotely provided services, and the underlying ideas informing that system;
3. To consider specific examples of issues arising in the formation and execution of digital contracts;
4. To explore the development of digital currencies and different approaches to regulation;
5. To consider issues of competition arising in digital markets;
6. To discuss the ways in which illicit digital markets develop;
7. To assess developing areas of interest, such as ‘gigification’ in the context of digital services, and cyber-security concerns around remote working post-Covid.
Outline Of Syllabus
The proposed outline of the syllabus is as follows, with the proviso that case studies will change each year dependent upon current issues, controversies and developments.
1. An introduction to digital markets, neoliberalism, ordoliberalism and varieties of capitalism
2. The EU’s Digital Single Market – a case study in market construction through law?
3. Digital Contracts I
4. Digital Contracts II
5. The law and economics of digital currencies
6. Digital competition I
7. Digital competition II
8. Illicit digital markets – from counterfeiting to drugs
9. Exploitative digital markets – the gig economy and casualised work
10. Remote working in digital markets – crime and security
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 60 | 1:00 | 60:00 | N/A |
Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | 4 one-hour Canvas-facilitated activities to familarise students with key theories, ideas & concepts. |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | In person classes (FLEX: can be moved to synchronous small group teaching if required) |
Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 12 | 0:15 | 3:00 | Multiple Choice Quizzes to allow students to self-test understanding of factual module content. |
Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 107 | 1:00 | 107:00 | Own reading and revision of substantive module content, combined with directed reading. |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Four one-hour long Q&A sessions to allow for all students to ask questions regarding module content. |
Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching methods have been adapted for delivery in the post-COVID environment and are based on the presumption that in person lectures, seminars and in-person drop-in sessions will be possible but that this shall need to be supplemented by making alternative arrangements under ‘FLEX’ in case of the possibility of more limited possibilities for on Campus teaching).
Small group teaching has been determined to be the most effective mode of content delivery for PGT students, allowing for a blend of instructor-led discussion and student-led group work, which is preferable to relying predominantly on lectures for student contact. The four one-hour long online activities will provide students with opportunities to test their knowledge and understanding of course content through four activities – the first, developing their understanding of ‘varieties of capitalism’ and how they relate to digital markets, the second on reading non-legal sources such as policy papers and reports, the third on interpreting an academic article, and the fourth (which leads into the final assessment), which involves drafting a short research proposal that then is used as part of the final summative assessment.
The scheduled online Q&As allow for students to ‘drop in’ and ask questions concerning course content, and the MCQ activities provide students with instantaneous formative feedback on their understanding of substantive factual course content.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 2 | M | 100 | 3,500 word essay |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The assignment, taking the form of a traditional essay, aims to advance critical and analytical skills of the PGT students, their ability to work with the secondary sources, understanding and engagement with the relevant literature, constituting the intellectual foundations of Competition Law & the Digital Economy. This area is subject to significant changes and revision. Thematically, students will be offered several topics of choice asking to engage in the discussion on some of the theoretical or applied aspects of legal rules underpinning the functioning of competition in digital markets
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- LAW8576's Timetable