| Unit name | Legal Perspectives on Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0127 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Pieraccini |
| 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 |
Not applicable. |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
We have all heard of the term ‘sustainability.’ Where is this term from and how has it transformed? What does it have to do with law? How might law shape or impact what we consider sustainable?
Sustainability is a dominant, and increasingly topical, issue we now find across many disciplines, including law. An increasing number of scholars in our Law School specialise in fields relating to sustainability: environmental law, human rights law, energy law, climate law, corporate law, health law, land law, law of contracts, law of torts and many others. Our researchers also address sustainability themes cutting across these fields, including issues around regulation, governance, justice, inclusion, equity, decolonization, and development. You will benefit from our varied expertise.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is one of the core units of LLM in Environment, Sustainability and Business, but students in other LLMs may also take it. You will learn about the relationship of the law and the concept, policy and practice of sustainability. As such, we will approach sustainability as a concept, including by learning about influential ways to think about it (such as the Brundtland Commission's) and the three-pillar framework (economic, social and environmental sustainability). We will also approach sustainability as a policy and practical issue, linking it specifically with the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework.
The unit aims to capture the ways in which the concept and pillars of sustainability and the SDGs comprise an important aspect of several courses taught and researched throughout the law school. The unit will be the product of a collaborative teaching, drawing on our varied expertise, to capture the way in which the topic of sustainability impacts a range of legal subjects. By considering sustainability in relation to different sources and fields of law, we can provide opportunities for comprehensive analysis of the way in which sustainability discourses challenge certain legal boundaries and the way in which the law responds. An emphasis on collaborative teaching also offers students the opportunity to consider the topic of “sustainability and law” in in its economic, social, political, technological, and philosophical contexts.
An overview of content
In this unit, we will cover:
We will cover these themes by examining sustainability in fields and/or across issue areas such as environmental law, human rights law, company law and corporate governance, land law, health law, labour law, intellectual property, and/or others from theoretical perspectives and substantive instruments. We aim to introduce you to a variety of ways to think about sustainability when you look at laws in these fields and issue areas, including their application in the UK and across multiple legal traditions around the world.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will enable students to connect their learning across various unit taught in the Law School and with globally relevant theme of sustainability. Students’ understandings of sustainability will be enriched through interaction with the diverse teaching team – this will introduce students to numerous threads of inquiry, any of which they might wish to pursue further through independent research in their dissertation, and/or beyond. The nature of the teaching on this unit, and the topics covered, will offer students the opportunity to engage meaningfully with Bristol’s broader sustainability-oriented vision. The currency of sustainability as a theme means that the module can also add to the knowledge and skills that students can transfer to future employment roles.
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
This unit will be team-taught, with seminars taught by scholars with specific expertise in each relevant subject area. This will offer you the opportunity to develop an understanding of sustainability and sustainable development as a applicable to a range of legal fields.
We may provide other opportunities to deepen our understanding of specific themes or issues. For instance, we may hold special workshops on ‘case studies’ to enable you develop problem-solving and future thinking skills in relation to issues pertaining to sustainability and law. These workshops can draw out the problem-based, practical elements of the course, and will help students to consider the real-life applications of the more conceptual themes discussed across the unit.
Teaching will be delivered through synchronous seminars and lectures, along with asynchronous materials and activities such as the preparation of discussion questions, guided readings, and videos.
The seminars will encompass feedback opportunities for the students and skills-based activities such as advocacy exercises alongside the more traditional Q&A activities and group discussions.
A formative feedback lecture and revision lecture will also be provided.
This structure offers benefits to a variety of different learners and can be oriented towards practical skills including advocacy which is well-suited to our LLM students.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
One formative coursework (1,000 words), which can be research essay, policy brief or problem question, on topics covered in the unit outline. It should be an outline or a proposal for the summative coursework.
Feedback on the formative coursework will be released before the submission of the summative assessment to allow students to benefit from academic guidance. There will also be seminar discussion which allows students to receive immediate feedback on their understanding and skills from academic staff and their peers.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
One piece of summative coursework (4,000 words), which can include a research essay, policy brief and/or problem question.
The coursework should build on the summative outline or proposal. This assessment will cover all Intended Learning Objectives for this unit.
When the 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 with new assessment questions.
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. LAWDM0127).
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.
