LAW2305 : The UK and EU Law (Graduate)
- Inactive for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leader(s): Dr Sylvia de Mars
- Lecturer: Mrs Jennifer Wardle
- 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
This module aims to start situating the UK as a legal actor in the rest of the world by examining its relationship with the European Union on a legal level. This module pays particular attention to the effects of ‘Brexit’ on the UK.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module will be framed by the overarching question of what Brexit has meant for the UK. Several case studies of topics of constitutional law will be addressed, examining first the UK’s situation when it was still a Member State and then considering the ‘future relationship’ between the EU and the UK.
Case studies will vary from year to year, but may include topics such as:
• Law-making in the EU, and law-making outside of it: how were decisions affecting the UK taken when the UK was a Member State, and how are they taken now that it is not?
• The role of the Court of Justice in developing EU law: to what extent did CJEU activism affect the UK as a Member State, and to what extent will it do so in the future?
• Movement of goods between the EU and the UK: how did it work before Brexit, and how does it work now?
• Movement of persons between the EU and the UK: how did it work before Brexit, and how does it work now?
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Pre-recorded lecture materials: 2 hours of skills-related recordings |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | Feed-forward and feedback and revision lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 45 | 1:00 | 45:00 | Suggested: 5 hours to prepare for the MCQ on Topic 1; 40 hours to prepare notes for the summative take-home exam. Preparation for the formative take-home exam will form part of seminar preparation. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 24 | 1:00 | 24:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | SEMINAR GROUP |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | WORKSHOP |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 118 | 1:00 | 118:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will set out the knowledge base that students will need to explore the case studies tackled in the subject, which will be done in detail in the small group seminars. The small group seminars will have a dual function: to have the students critically consider and develop their own opinions about the debates introduced by the lectures, and to help them hone their practical skills by testing out their approaches to both essay questions and problem questions in group contexts that enable peer review and helps prepare for end of year assessment. The workshops will allow for deeper analysis of the claims about the benefits of Brexit. Students will research political claims, compare with legal reality and then compose a manifesto for rejoining the EU and create a political poster to complement the manifesto thereby developing their ability to convey complex legal material to a non-legal audience.
The quizzes in relevant teaching weeks are there to for the students to check their understanding and to enable the teaching team to provide targeted further feedback on complex topics.
Private study is directed so as to broaden student knowledge and understanding and prepare them for research assignments, seminars, and assessment. Assessment preparation time gives an indication of the level of research or revision expected for each of the three assessments in this module.
'Drop-in/surgery' contact time is reserved so students can ask specific questions about the module content or any of its assessments.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 480 | 2 | A | 75 | Take home exam. Answer 2 questions from a choice of 5 in an 8 hour window |
| Written Examination | 30 | 2 | M | 5 | Canvas Multiple Choice Exam (20 questions), due by week 4 of term. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | M | 20 | manifesto for Rejoining EU – 1500 words plus poster |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 2 | M | Take home exam. Answer 1 compulsory question |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
To cover essential but basic content, the students will sit a 5% MCQ to assess their knowledge/understanding of foundational issues in EU law.
The students will have a formative take-home exam during the semester that will cover a single topic by means of a question they will have discussed in one of the seminars. This will help prepare students for the exam. The use of examination is justified in order to test the basic knowledge base conveyed in the module, which is structured around four bespoke but related topics that introduce students to how EU law works and what Brexit has meant for EU law’s role in the UK. The specific preference for take-home examination lies in the fact that it enables the students to avoid memorising material and to instead work up their notes on the material they have been taught throughout the year, and the recommended reading they have explored in addition to the required reading, with the ability to rely on those notes when they sit their end of year examination.
The manifesto and poster exercise will help students explore and evaluate the political versus the legal representation of the UK relationship with the EU and help them develop the skill of conveying complex legal material in an accurate way to a non-legal audience
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- LAW2305's Timetable