This module aims to:
1. Provide students with a strong foundation in legal method, legal theory, legal scholarship, and the relationship between law and social justice
2. Instil the values and identity of the School of Law and Social Justice within all LL.B students as part of our learning community
3. Imbue heightened levels of student confidence in their skills of legal reasoning through an enhanced understanding of theories of law
4. Promote reflective practice as a key academic and professional attribute

(LO1) Describe the role of law in promoting (or inhibiting) values such as justice, fairness, equality, citizenship, inclusion and social responsibility

(LO2) Retrieve and use authoritative primary sources of law

(LO3) Appraise individual cases and the significance of individual cases within the broader case law

(LO4) Employ a variety of methods to analyse, interpret and apply legislation

(LO5) Use electronic databases to cross reference between primary legal sources to verify their status and retrieve secondary resources

(LO6) Apply general principles of academic writing in the context of legal work including the use of key legal citation and referencing tools

(LO7) Appraise legal theories in a contemporary practical context

(S1) Reflective practice

(S2) Communication Skills

(S3) Teamwork

The module introduces students to the study of Law in the School of Law and Social Justice. It uses a variety of contemporary case studies to develop students’ contextual understanding of:
• Key concepts (e.g. law, obligation, power, rights, justice, inequalities etc),
• Frameworks (e.g. court system, judicial reasoning, legislation, supra-national law etc)
• Techniques (e.g. using precedent, statutory interpretation, accessing authoritative sources of law, conducting legal research etc)
• Legal theory (e.g. the role of law in society; a range of major theories of law (e.g. natural law, legal positivism, critical legal theories)
• Skills and attributes expected of students in the School of Law and Social Justice (e.g. fluency of communication; integrity in the planning and execution of academic work; collaborative working practices; developing reflective practice as a Law student etc)

Teaching Patterns

Learning and teaching on this module will be structured in accordance with the Debate Model adopted as part of Curriculum Review. In Foundations of Law and Social Justice this involves:

Weekly lectures – lectures provide an initial exposition of the fundamental concepts, frameworks, theories and skills as relevant to the syllabus.

Seminars – small group debate sessions offer the opportunity to explore key areas of the syllabus in more detail and promote the development of collaborative learning, argumentation and communication skills

Lectures and debate sessions are supported by workshops exploring various aspects of the syllabus e.g. reflective practice, legal research, applying legal theory to contemporary (and historical) events etc.
Additionally, a variety of blended learning methods will be utilised, with a range of asynchronous recordings, online (formative) MCQ quizzes, online discussion boards etc embedded throughou t the module so as to enhance student engagement.

The Learning and Teaching strategy for Foundations of LSJ also incorporates an extended induction period: Foundations of LSJ is the only Level 4 Law module with teaching activities in weeks one and two of Semester One. This will include a range of small and large group teaching sessions designed to embed key legal knowledge and develop professional skills and personal attributes necessary whilst inspiring students as to their future learning as an SLSJ student.

Contact Hours:

Lectures: 28 hours
Tutorials: 10.5 hours
Workshops: 9 hours

Total Directed Student Hours: 47.5
Independent Study: 102.5