LAW3248 : Law and Politics (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Emilia Mickiewicz
- Lecturer: Dr Joshua Jowitt, Professor Richard Mullender, Professor Ben Farrand, Dr Ruth Houghton
- 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. To explore the areas of intersection between law and politics.
2. To acquire knowledge and deeper understanding of the politico-legal concepts, theories and problems.
3. To enable application of the acquired knowledge to the contemporary legal and political debates.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module examines the relationship between law and politics from the point of view of various theories of sovereignty.
It comprises of classical, modern and postmodern theories of sovereignty. It includes the accounts of sovereignty offered by Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau as well as contemporary accounts found in the works of Carl Schmitt, Max Weber, Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault. Students undertaking the module will explore the extent to which law constrains arbitrary exercise of sovereign power, the sources from which sovereign authorities derive their legitimacy, the corresponding obligation to obey and the conditions of justified resistance. A range of historical examples as well as the contemporary political developments will provide a background against which to test cogency of the examined theories.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 165 | 1:00 | 165:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching methods comprise lectures, seminars and independent learning. Lectures and seminars will be interactive and require advance preparation. Seminars will involve group work, presentations and class debates. These are designed to advance students ability to critically engage with the identified areas of controversy in law and politics, to encourage debate and independent thinking. The requirement to prepare in advance will develop students’ ability to conduct independent research, assess the epistemological value of the identified sources, identify materials to support one’s own distinctive position and develop coherent arguments.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 135 | 1 | A | 67 | 3 of 6 questions |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1 | M | 33 | 2000 words |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The emphasis in this module is upon developing ability to identify and critically engage with the areas of intersection between law and politics. The assessed coursework advances this objective by requiring students to conduct independent research on the topic which explores the relationship between the two disciplines and encourages them to take a distinctive position on the examined controversy. The coursework encourages students to develop a coherent narrative to advance that position and support it with the relevant evidence. The unseen examination assesses students’ ability to employ the acquired knowledge to solve problems, think critically, analyse and synthesise the relevant materials. It tests students’ knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- LAW3248's Timetable