| Unit name | Law of Tort II: Other Liabilities |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD10019 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Bell |
| 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?
This unit builds on the compulsory unit Law of Tort I: Liability for Negligence. Tort is the general law of civil liability and in fact embraces a very diverse set of liabilities other than negligence, including intentional interference with the person, product liability, nuisance, defamation (libel and slander) and misuse of private information. These other liabilities—which are, like negligence, important areas of professional legal practice—provide this unit’s focus. Studying this unit will introduce you to the rich and stimulating diversity of the law of tort beyond liability arising in the tort of negligence and enable you to acquire knowledge and understanding of concepts and principles that you will need if you intend to qualify as a lawyer. The unit also addresses the theme of sustainability in considering how the tort of nuisance guards against interference with the occupation and use of land, for example by environmental pollution.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This optional unit gives you the opportunity to build on your learning in compulsory unit Law of Tort I: Liability for Negligence. It will highlight interconnections between tort law and other subjects you will study in your first year so that you understand, for example, that wrongdoing can have consequences in both criminal law and tort law, and how tortious liability can both protect and undermine human rights and freedoms. The unit incorporates the theme of sustainability in the context of tortious liability for interference with land, providing valuable context if you decide to take the optional unit Environmental Law later in your studies.
An overview of content
This unit introduces you to tortious liabilities other those arising in the tort of negligence, including intentional interference with the person, defamation, misuse of private information, product liability and nuisance. The unit incorporates the theme of sustainability in considering how the tort of nuisance guards against interference with the occupation and use of land, for example by environmental pollution.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will gain knowledge and understanding of important concepts and principles of the law of tort, and of the rich and stimulating diversity of tort law beyond the tort of negligence.
You will reinforce and consolidate your legal reasoning skills, equipping you better for further study, as well as for professional practice if you decide to become a lawyer.
You will be able to engage in legal analysis of real or hypothetical facts, applying rules of tort law to determine whether liability arises or not, and critically assess the bases on which liability can arise.
Learning Outcomes
The unit will be taught in TB2 and will include lectures, large group sessions and seminars. These activities will typically take place on campus. The unit will also require directed and self-directed learning, which will include activities such as reading materials included in the unit’s reading list, watching videos, accessing web-based supplementary materials, completing online tests and performing tasks for seminar discussion. Teaching is student-centred, and you will be expected to contribute to seminar discussion and to engage in peer-to-peer learning.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Seminars in this unit are centred around assessment-style problem and essay questions, which give you the opportunity to test your knowledge and practise important legal skills. These tasks provide immediate feedback through peer discussion and oral feedback from academic staff. A formative assessment will take place midway through the unit in which you will answer an essay question (500 words) and a problem question (500 words). Individual written feedback and lecture-based cohort feedback will be provided. This formative assessment gives you direct experience of the types of task you will be required to undertake as your summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The summative assessment will take the form of a Timed Assessment in which you will be required to answer two questions, one problem question and one essay question. Each question has a word limit of 1500 words. This unit covers all Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit.
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, the unit will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessment required for credit in the usual way.
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. LAWD10019).
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.
