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Module

LAW3051 : Internet Law (Inactive)

  • Inactive for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Professor Lilian Edwards
  • 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 1 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

1. Students should by end of module be able to demonstrate an understanding of the implications of the arrival of the Internet and networked information and communications in our society and how it has created new legal conflicts in most areas of law.

2. They should then be able to identify legal frameworks of regulation with which to analyse and/or resolve such conflicts

3. Students should be able to identify the applicable national and regional laws for the legal issues examined in the module and also to analyse the legal, technological, societal, political and other challenges and conflicts these areas entail. They should demonstrate an understanding of the global framework of Internet law, and a background understanding of the international human rights and governance structures relevant to the area.

Outline Of Syllabus

Will vary as topical events impact on what is a very dynamic area but typically will be drawn from:

• Intro/ Regulation of the Internet
• Privacy/ Data Protection 1 :introduction to privacy, DP principles
• Data Protection 2: user rights
• Data Protection / E-Commerce 3: cookies, spam, profiling, marketing
• State and public/private surveillance
• Online Intermediaries
• Illegal and harmful content online: trolling, abuse and fake news
• Cybercrime and security
• High technology topics e.g. Digital assets: AI; driverless cars; care robots
• Technology, AI and the legal profession

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture142:0028:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching12:002:00This course does not lend itself to seminars. 2 seminars included for revision and mock essays.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery52:0010:00N/A
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study1601:00160:00N/A
Total200:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lecturing will be used to provide an overview of both matters that need to be known in outline (where little further reading is required) and also matters that need to be known in detail, where it must be followed up with self-study from textbook chapters and academic articles. It is expected that assuming size of class is capped at c 32 these will be more like seminars i.e. with interaction, questions and group break out exercises.

Self-study is critical in order for the learner to grasp the detail and to spend time considering the material in depth, and working through problems and constructing arguments at a slow enough pace for deep learning.

Seminars usually focus on checking the effectiveness of that self-study, where learners can check they have understood the material properly, clear up misunderstandings and explore, in discussion, the further possibilities from where they have got to. However if the class size is small enough it is not thought many extra substantive seminars will be needed as such feedback will come during group work and class questioning and also in response to class assessments. Additionally two revision seminars will be held preparatory to both the essay and exam assessment components where students will be able to go through mock questions in small groups. This should also meet any worries about embarking on a n module without prior past papers or track record. If there are issues, students can then come to the class leaders drop in surgeries.

Drop-in / surgery / office / feedback, guidance and consultation hours are a facility for another way of closing the feedback loop. Here, individual feedback and discussion is provided for matters there was insufficient time to deal with in a seminar, or where the issue was specific to a minority of learners such that the seminar had to more on.

A formative group exercise - writing a "blog" - will be used to test understanding and analytic skills, and build group skills and communication to the public.

It is envisaged that this course represents a next step in learning after absorbing a basic legal grounding. Thus the more appropriate format is a 2 hour contact session. This allows scope for consideration of legal, market and technological issues round a single topic at one go. It also allows for break out exercises, group presentations and use of audio visual materials. The course has been delivered successfully in this style at other institutions.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams
Description Length Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written Examination901A672 out of 4 questions.
Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Essay1M332000 words
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Summative essay : to test individual, independent analytical and research skills without exam pressure and access to all relevant materials. Will follow on from blog exercise but all individual work.

Summative Exam: To evaluate the students’ application of problem solving and analytical and other skills as well as to test knowledge of substantive law taught in class. Exam conditions provide safeguards against collaboration/plagiarism in essay.

Reading Lists

Timetable