Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice LLB (Hons)

You focus on the role played by public bodies, exploring how the law impacts on the individual and the remedies available when powers of the state are abused. You examine the Human Rights Act 1998 and the significance of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 for the UK citizen, and explore the duties of public authorities to protect and uphold fundamental human rights.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore the relationship between an individual and the state, focusing on constitutional principles relating to the UK and to the EU post-Brexit. The UK constitution comprises a series of powers and customs based on the traditional role of the Monarch. Much of this power is now exercised by Parliament and the Government, and this module explores the interaction between the organs of state. You develop an understanding of the key institutions of the EU and explore the relationship between EU and domestic law pre- and post-Brexit.

This is a 20-credit module.

This introduction to criminological theories, media representations of crime and the way in which we understand crime and deviance in contemporary society serves as a foundation to further criminological theory modules at levels 5 and 6.

You gain the solid basis of knowledge needed to explore debates about who commits crime, why crime is committed and why crime is seen as a social problem. You are introduced to a range of classic and traditional theoretical perspectives which provide the foundations for more complex and contemporary theoretical perspectives later in the programme.

You gain the skills for success in legal study and practice, including the use and sourcing?of legal materials, legal research, how to tackle legal questions and the processes of legal reasoning such as the doctrine of judicial precedent and judicial approaches towards interpreting statute. Consider some of the key skills of the lawyer in practice, enabling you to practice for the conduct of cases including the preparation and presentation of arguments.

This is a 20-credit module.

You study the criminal justice system and a range of agencies and institutions that operate within it. Explore the origins and purposes of the system to understand criminal justice within a broader historical, political, social, and economic context. You examine specific issues related to contemporary criminal justice including probation, prisons, restorative justice, race and gender.

This is a 20-credit module.

All contracts are agreements but not all agreements are contracts, therefore it’s essential to identify the elements which distinguish purely informal agreements from those which are enforceable in law. You examine a number of issues that may arise once a contract is made, for example one party might change their mind, one party may have misled the other, property delivered may be defective, or one party may not perform the contract in whole or in part. In each case the law of contract has established principles for allocating responsibility.

This is a 20-credit module.

You are introduced to the nature and scope of the criminal law and elements of criminal liability. You study key specific criminal offences, including murder, manslaughter, non-fatal offences against the person, theft and related offences, inchoate offences and modes of participation, and learn about important defences to criminal conduct.

This is a 20-credit module.

You develop your understanding of the major developments in criminological theory from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Appraise contemporary crime theories and apply them to real-life problems of crime, deviance and harm.

This is a 20-credit module.

This module focuses on personal and professional development planning by encouraging self-evaluation, self-reflection, and development of key transferable skills. You engage with practitioners in law and other relevant professions (including non-legal professions), who provide insight into their work, and you learn about professionalism and legal ethics, which prepares you for the challenges of professional life. You develop research and academic writing skills and to take a more critical approach, in preparation for your research project/dissertation in your final year.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore a range of civil causes of action which fall within the scope of the law of tort, and study the theoretical underpinning and principles of a number of torts, and undertake guided research in specified areas to identify the relevant law. The important tort of negligence is considered in detail and in the context of an ever-rising number of personal injury claims, together with a number of other forms of tortious liability.

This is a 20-credit module.

The Law of Equity and Trusts developed as a doctrine in order to provide justice in cases where the common law did not provide an adequate solution. It also operated to prevent individuals from behaving unconscionably by insisting on a strict application of the common law, to the detriment of another person. One of the most fundamental creations of equity is the trust, whether express, implied, or constructive. Whilst an express trust enables individuals to make provision for chosen individuals or charities, either as lifetime gifts or by Will on death, an implied or constructive trust protects the rights of beneficiaries who would otherwise be left without a remedy as a result of another person’s unconscionable behaviour. Equity also sets the legal framework in which wider remedies such as proprietary estoppel, lapse, tracing assets, equitable damages, liens, specific performance, injunctions, and other doctrines operate which are not within the scope of those provided by the common law. It continues to develop as a doctrine.

This is a 20-credit module.

This module gives students the opportunity to develop their graduate skills in preparation for employment in a professional context. Students will have the opportunity to gain academic credit based on their participation in work experience, a short period of professional activity or work-related learning relevant to the discipline or area of professional interest. The module will provide the framework through which students will be able to develop an understanding of graduate employment pathways, opportunities, reflective practice and experiential learning. The core focus of the module will be helping students prepare for graduate careers, developing an understanding of professional working contexts and enabling them to identify and evidence their own graduate skills.

This is a 20-credit module.

Explore the development, organisation and practice of policing in modern society. You are introduced to key concepts, theories and debates in the sociology of the police. Situating policing within the wider institutional configuration of security and social control, you gain an understanding of how economic, political and ideological factors shape these institutions. Examine a range of historical and comparative issues in police organisation, deployment and practice from a British and comparative perspective. You contemplate the implications of these dimensions of policing for democratic government, civil liberties and human rights.

This is a 20-credit module.

You conduct an in-depth, self-directed and self-managed research project on a selected substantive area of law. You develop comprehensive knowledge and understanding of your chosen topic and develop your academic and transferable skills to a high level.

This is a 40-credit module.

You study the relationship between philosophies of punishment, methods and strategies of penal intervention, including sentencing, imprisonment, community sentences and community supervision. You also explore the ethical conflicts and dilemmas that emerge because of society’s response to criminal behaviour. Focusing on the key principles of security, control and justice, you investigate issues of differential treatment, the response and adaptation of prison populations to penal practices and regimes, the internal culture of the prison and the role of probation services. Examine the impact of social and economic change on penal policy and practice, questioning the influence of human rights law on the treatment of offenders.

This is a 20-credit module.

Together with the Constitutional Principles of the UK and the EU module, this module ensures coverage of one of the seven foundations of legal knowledge. You are introduced to the substantive legal provisions of EU. In addition, you will explore EU competition law and EU external relations with the rest of the world.

This is a 20-credit module.

You begin by focusing on children, an area where historically the rights of parents have been of prime concern. However, modern developments and the Children Act 1989, have stressed the rights of the child and the responsibilities of parents and others taking the place of parents. Private law, regulating the relationship of the child to others, and public law, focusing on child protection, are brought together.

You move onto the formation and dissolution of formal relationships between adults, together with a consideration of the financial consequences. The law regulates the interaction of the parties, defining their rights and responsibilities, minimally during the course of the relationship but in detail should it end. Currently, the law prescribes different outcomes in respect of the breakdown of formal and informal relationships, for example, cohabitation. The nature of this distinction and whether its continued maintenance is tenable or desirable is also examined. You also consider the suitability of the remedies available in the context of domestic abuse occurring in both formal and informal relationships

This is a 20-credit module.

You examine the principles of international business law, its history, evolution and current challenges. You examine the purpose and objectives of the regulation of international trade relations based on the philosophies and theories that influence such relations. You develop an understanding of the substance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) covered agreements and how these apply to disputes arising from the violation of WTO agreements.

This is a 20-credit module.

Land law is one of the foundations of legal knowledge. No one piece of land is the same as another and although in history land law is about large interests, the subject changed in the 20th century as the owner-occupier replaced the landlord as the dominant figure and, in the later part of the century, the owner-occupier couple replaced the single, usually male, owner. Compulsory land registration is now in the process of completing the transformation of the subject and it is predominantly co-owned, registered land, which is the focus of the subject, other forms being used to point out differences rather than as a norm.

Get practical experience offering free advice in different areas of law to members of the public through the University's Law Clinic. You work on real client cases practising law skills and get involved with other legal projects supervised by the Director of Clinical Legal Education.

This is a 20-credit module.

You focus on the law of evidence in both civil and criminal spheres. You examine key aspects of the admissibility of evidence at trial and explore the practical and theoretical implications of the rules.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore and understand aspects of criminal and civil litigation, including the processes and rules involved to communicate effectively when presenting a case in civil and criminal proceedings.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore the medical professions and move on to liability within medical law, mainly by means of medical negligence. Increasingly important are the issues related to criminal responsibility both of medical practitioners and of those with medical conditions. These issues will be considered along with those relating to birth and death, assisted reproduction and suicide and other topical areas of debate. Significant issues are relevant to every area, in particular the issue of personal autonomy and consent to treatment, and the legal positions of those with and without capacity are considered.

This is a 20-credit module.

Examine key issues and debates in the field of social movements, collective action and activism. Critically examine societal changes through the lens of social movements, highlighting how changing attitudes and policy are affected by broader socio-economic, political and cultural changes. You draw upon a range of historical and current examples of social movements, linking theory and practice.

This is a 20-credit module.

The study of drugs and drug use is at an important stage. Changing attitudes and a more relaxed approached to control in some quarters means the way in which drug use is viewed is changing. You are introduced to key issues and debates in the field of drugs use and misuse. Critically examine the changing status of drug use in the past and present, and the various ways that drug use is conceived as problematic for individuals and societies. Explore how changing attitudes and policy towards drug use reflect broader socio-economic and cultural changes. You consider the ways in which successive drug policies have attempted to control and regulate intoxication in society by different health and crime prevention strategies. You cover a range of key themes including the changing patterns of drug use and the implications of this change for drug users, the representation of drugs and drug use in popular culture and the nature of care provision for 'problem' drug users. You also look at the conflicting nature of drugs education and the dichotomy between harm reduction, and 'just say no' and crime prevention strategies.

This is a 20-credit module.

You apply and develop your understanding of welfare and immigration law and explore an extensive range of issues faced by citizens in the welfare state, particularly in the context of the societal change brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the growing struggles resulting from the Covid-19 global pandemic.

This is a 20-credit module.

Wills and Probate involves complex questions relating to Wills, trusts and the extent to which individuals can control the devolution and ownership of their assets after death. Many of the issues raised on this module relate to practical, real-life situations and this is reflected in the fact that students will be required to solve difficult and complex legal problems in seminars and in their assessed work.

This is a 20-credit module.