Stimulate the academic interest of students in a complex area of law;
Enhance general legal and transferable skills in the context of the subject area;
Deliver the substantive elements of the subject in accordance with the requirements laid down in the Joint Announcement of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Bar Council governing the content of the qualifying law degree;
Carry out independent tasks and research to a highl evel of aptitude.

(LO1) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic rules affecting an individual's use and occupation of land and the claims of a third party to an interest in land.

(LO2) Demonstrate detailed knowledge of and the ability to critically evaluate the law in some areas.

(LO3) Appreciate the social context and underlying policy issues in this area of law and thei nfluences they exert.

(LO4) Show an awareness of the practical implications for individuals of the operation of Land Law.

(LO5) Researchthe relevant laws, electronically and on paper and present an effectiveargument, soundly based in critical analysis of the law in its social andpolicy context both orally and in writing.

(LO6) Be able to complete specified tasks with minimal direction or input through formal instruction.

(S1) Problem Solving - Preparation and completion of relevant written exercises and participation in drop-in sessions + reflection on individual and ‘generic’ feedback.

(S2) Legal Research - Assessment of compulsory written exercises + provision of detailed ‘generic’ feedback and individual feedback; built into the assessment criteria of performance in the summative examination. Skills audit.

(S3) Critical Analysis - Assessment of compulsory written exercises + provision of detailed ‘generic’ feedback and individual feedback; built into the assessment criteria of performance in the summative examination.

(S4) Application of Legal Knowledge - Feedback on formative learning aspects of course (e.g. written exercise no.1, MCQ feedback); Summatively assessed through written exercises no.2 and no.3 and performance in summative examination.

(S5) General Transferable Skills, particularly research based and word processing of work in an appropriate form - Includes research skills, working independently, using electronic sources, word processing and checking plagiarism on written exercises electronically (through CANVAS software); e-communication of module issues.

Syllabus topics:

1. Understanding Land
2. Estates and Interests
3. Registration of Land
4. Trusts of Land
5. Co-ownership

There are three main delivery methods in Land Law (LAW242). These are lectures, three written submissions, and workshops. These main methods are supplemented with online learning materials (Land Law Dioramas).

(1) Lectures
11 x 2 hr lectures= 22 hrs
There are 11 substantive lectures for Land Law (LAW242). These lectures intend to deliver the substantive materials in this land law module. The treatment is divided in the following manner:
• Introduction to land law and theoretical underpinnings
• Introduction to estates and interests and the development of the leasehold estate as one of the two estates in land.
• Critical evaluation of the leasehold estate by reference to three leading cases, Street, Mexfield and Bruton.
• Critical evaluation of the various interests in land, including easements, restrictive covenants, and mortgages and relevant cases that relate to these interests.
• Cr itical examination of the doctrine of notice and overreaching. This topic provides a bridge between the substantive coverage in the first half of the module before the focus moves to registration and protection.
• Critical examination of registered land and the various techniques to protect estates and interests.
• Critical examination of co-ownership and the area of Trusts of Land and the Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 through a feminist lens using the work of Auchmuty and Fox.
• Critical examination of co-ownership including joint tenancies and tenancy in common.

(2) Workshops
There are Five (5) workshops for the Land Law (LAW242) module. The five workshops are divided in the following way:
Workshop One: Introduction Workshop
This workshop provides a general overview of the workshop series to demonstrate how the workshop sessions support movement through the module materials and help to develop problem and essay writing skills. The first workshop is used to give more guidance on how to use the feedback provided in the module, including the detailed commentary on past examination questions, on the optional written exercises and on the compulsory written exercise (including how to relate such feedback to the briefer comments on students’ individual submission) and how to use the marking criteria.
Workshop Two: Leases
This workshop uses past paper questions and other exercises to help students understand approaches to answering problem questions on leases. A lease problem question is used to highlight discussion points. This second session is used to discuss answering problem questions in land, working through some examples, with the intent of helping students to do well in preparing and writing the compulsory written exercise.
Workshop Three: Interests
This workshop uses past paper questions and other exercise to help students understand approaches to answering interests p roblem questions. An interests question is used in this workshop to explain answer writing approaches. These approaches include identifying the relevant interests, but also discussion of how those interests can be protected. This third workshop is used to discuss answering problem questions in land, working through some examples, with the intent of helping students to do well in preparing and writing the compulsory written exercise.
Workshop Four: Registration
In this session we address essay writing techniques to show how essay questions in land law can be approached. Typically, a TOLATA (Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996) question or a mirror principle question (registered land) is used to demonstrate these essay writing techniques. The fourth session is used to discuss answering essay questions in land, working through some examples, with the intent of helping students to do well in preparing and writing the compulsory written exercise.
Workshop Five: R evision and Examination Techniques
Here the substantive knowledge and essay/problem answer techniques are brought together in one final general session. This session also allows for discussion and follow-up of issues relating to the syllabus topics.
The whole point of these workshop sessions is to encourage effective legal writing. This is done through the use of formative assessment of compulsory written exercises and provision of detailed ‘generic’ feedback and individual feedback.

(3) Written Exercises: Details and Submission

Students must undertake three pieces of written work which relate to workshops two, three and four. The three pieces of written work must be completed by each student for this module. As noted above (assessment strategy) written exercise two and three carry a summative weighting of 15% each.
Students have a choice of either an essay or problem questions on a prescribed syllabus topic. The exercises closely follow the format of questions students would expect to encounter in the final examination.

(4) Online Learning Materials - The Land Law Dioramas – Object-Based Learning

The Land Law (LAW242) module makes use of extensive online learning materials. These are the Land Law Dioramas which are contained in their own Canvas area for LAW242. The Land Law Dioramas are an example of object-based learning. As ‘material culture’ and objects the Land Law Dioramas are designed to facilitate interaction between the object and to encourage critical thinking as a key skill in relation to the object.

In addition to the Land Law Dioramas on the leading case law authorities there are other physical objects which make up the contents of various diorama Canvas pages on LAW242, e.g. the Blackadder’s Patch page, the Barley Lane page, the mirror principle page, and, the curtain principle page. These are also object-based learning materials. These Land Law Diorama ph ysical objects reflect the long tradition of object handling and object-based learning in teaching collections in Universities and University museums.

Self-directed learning= 123 hrs