| Unit name | Legal History |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD30106 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Seabourne |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
An understanding of legal history is highly desirable for anyone wishing to work in the precedent-based common law world. In terms of providing a rounded legal education, it is as important to view law in its historical context as to examine philosophical or sociological factors. Studying this unit gives important context to the other areas of law covered on your degree, both in terms of showing how the law arrived at particular doctrines or institutions and in terms of showing how rules, procedures and intellectual categories can be changed (through both ‘internal’ legal development and ‘external’ social and political factors).
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a final year, H/6, optional unit. It is intended to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of the law and legal scholarship, once they have achieved familiarity with most of the core areas of legal study. It allows them room to explore aspects of legal history which interest them, and guides them in exploration of older sources of law which will not have been included in their other legal studies, and in consideration of approaches to law taken by those in other scholarly areas (in particular, history).
An overview of content
This unit examines aspects of the history of the common law in England and Wales, dealing with the institutions of the common law and with substantive development in selected areas of law. It looks, also, at approaches to legal history, and the methods and sources which are available for the study of legal history. Finally, it considers what use legal scholars and others can make of the histories of the law.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students who complete this unit will attain an understanding of the common law, as a system built up over many centuries, influenced by internal and external factors. They will understand the differences between modern legal materials and those of earlier centuries, and the connections and differences between legal ideas of past and present. They will be aware of, and equipped to discuss, present views of the law, justice and injustices of the past.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:
You will be able to cover the syllabus for this unit, and achieve the Learning Objectives through appropriate engagement with:
These methods of learning combine to produce the best preparation for the summative timed assessment tasks.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Seminars will include both short questions and questions in essay format, which are of a similar nature to those contained in the summative tasks.
Students will also have the opportunity to submit a piece of written work, and receive feedback on this. This will take the form of an introduction and essay plan of c. 500 words, based on a question in the style of the summative tasks. This is designed to hone students’ abilities to express themselves precisely and efficiently, within a word limit, and to set out a feasible argument with some indication of the material they could marshal in support of that argument. It will be set early and submitted half way through the unit, to give students ample time to improve on any weaknesses in their understanding or technique. Students will receive individual written feedback on it, as well as general feedback from the unit co-ordinator.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
The unit mark will be the mark achieved in the timed assessment. The timed assessment will require students to answer two essay questions. Each answer will have a maximum length of 1,500 words (3,000 words overall). This assessment examines all Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit.
When assessment does not go to plan
A student who fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWD30106).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
