| Unit name | Financial Markets and Bank Regulation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0157 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Miss. Powley |
| 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?
The structure and operation of financial markets and banking institutions are frequently the focus of policymaking and reform. Events nationally and globally have placed financial markets and bank regulation under intense scrutiny and law and regulation has a significant impact on how financial services firms function. In the UK, government bailouts of ‘too big to fail’ elements of the financial sector provided the impetus for significant structural overhauls of the UK’s regulatory architecture and its banking sector. The Global Financial Crisis destabilised financial markets and, over a decade later, the ramifications are still being felt in terms of legal change. This unit will give you the opportunity to explore how law and regulation affects financial services firms and those who use them.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit will allow you to assess the development of financial regulation and develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of key aspects of the regulatory framework financial services firms are required to comply with. If you are on the Banking and Finance Law LLM programme, this unit complements your learning in units on corporate finance, banking, insurance and markets. If you choose this unit as an optional unit on another Law postgraduate taught programme it will provide you with the opportunity to understand core aspects of financial regulation in theory and practice.
An overview of content
This unit will allow you to engage with core aspects of the regulatory lifecycle for the financial sector, critically analysing the law and regulation that governs banks and other financial institutions. Topics covered include:
How will students, personally, be different as a result of this unit?
You will develop a working understanding of key aspects of financial law and regulation and engage with core policy debates surrounding the evolution of the law and regulation that impacts financial institutions. The unit will allow you to develop your employability by being able to position these central debates on law and reform in financial services law and critically discuss the context of these reforms, operating as an important base for those who want to pursue a career related to the financial services sector.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
Teaching will include learning activities including interactive lectures and workshops, small group work and discussions, in-seminar presentations and individual tasks to be completed before timetabled sessions.
These activities will be supported by materials provided through the virtual learning platform, with short recordings, directed reading and questions to consider in advance of timetabled classes. The focus of these activities will vary depending on the topic and will incorporate a critical analysis of key legal and regulatory developments. This will require directed and self-directed learning.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The structure and organisation of the unit provides students with many opportunities to develop their skills and prepare for the summative assessment. In class discussions, interactive lectures and group work will allow you to receive informal feedback on your knowledge and understanding from academic staff and your peers. Multiple choice questions are used to allow you to reflect on their understanding of the content covered.
The formative assessment for this unit will build on the work you complete in relation to each topic and will require you to draft an introduction to an essay, supported by a detailed essay plan (1,000 words in total). The essay plans submitted for the formative assessment will form the basis of a workshop exercise on developing arguments, allowing you to focus on your essay writing skills in advance of the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
This unit is assessed by coursework. The coursework will be a total of 4,000 words (1 x 1,000 essay; 1 x 3,000 word essay). The assessment will assess all of the 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 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. LAWDM0157).
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.
