| Unit name | Privacy Law: Theory and Practice |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0092 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Charlesworth |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit provides an opportunity for students to engage in an in-depth study of theories of privacy, based on discussion of key legal, philosophical and political writings on the subject. These will include writings by commentators critical of the value of privacy, such as communitarians (e.g. Amitai Etzioni), feminist legal scholars (e.g. Catharine McKinnon), and 'transparency' advocates (e.g. David Brin). Insights from such study will provide students, both during their studies and beyond, with the ability to examine critically the rationales for, and possible consequences of, accepting particular claims to 'privacy rights' within the legal sphere. Students will then undertake a comparative examination of the legal protection of privacy in a number of legal systems under the broad categories of: Physical privacy e.g. surveillance, CCTV, interception of communications; Informational privacy e.g. personal data collection, data mining, ID cards; Decisional privacy e.g. sexual autonomy, abortion.
