LA240-15 Foundations of European Law
Introductory description
The module is an introduction both to the institutional structure and to key areas of substantive law of the European Union.
Module aims
Teaching is by lecture and seminars. Students are encouraged to read a quality newspaper, the Economist and to keep abreast of developments in the EU regularly reported on all the main news broadcasts.
The advantage that EU law has over other areas of law is that the EU receives wide coverage in the media because there is no agreement over the direction the EU should be moving in, and no consensus on how the problems besetting it are to be resolved.
In order to understand the debate, students need to become familiar with the issues and the easiest way is to watch ‘Channel 4 News at 7pm’, ‘Question Time’ or ‘Newsnight’.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The basic concepts of direct effect, supremacy, and the creation of a rights-based law are considered.
The question of democratic accountability is raised in discussing the legislative roles of the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the European Council and the European Parliament.
The functions, procedures and organisational structure of the Court of Justice and General Court are discussed with an emphasis on the role of the Court of Justice in the integration of the EU and of the General Court in providing judicial protection for individuals.
Some areas of substantive law will be studied, in particular, the free movement of goods.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Understand the role and function of the main European Institutions.
- Understand the main procedures of the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance.
- Understand some elements of substantive EU Law.
- Have knowledge of some concepts of EU law, such as supremacy, and some of the general principles of EU law, such as equality, their use and application.
- Work independently in research and preparation.
- Work in groups, contributing effectively to the group task.
- Analyse and evaluate the impact of EU law on the process of European political and economic integration.
- Communicate orally and in writing using concepts of EU law and the language of EU law.
- Use information technology to research electronic databases, in particular the Europa web-sites.
- Identify principles of EU law which may be applied to resolve a legal problem.
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Specific reading list for the module
International
This module specifically looks at the European Union.
Subject specific skills
No subject specific skills defined for this module.
Transferable skills
No transferable skills defined for this module.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 18 sessions of 1 hour (12%) |
| Seminars | 7 sessions of 1 hour (5%) |
| Private study | 125 hours (83%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
125, to include essay research and writing
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A3
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| 3,000 word essay | 100% | Yes (extension) | |
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Students will write 3,000 words on one of three topics listed. In addition to the essay, students will be required to submit a research methods statement (which does not contribute to the word count, guidance is that a page or two should be sufficient). It should include some or all of the following information: how student approached their research, how their located materials, articles cases etc, what search engines/databases they used, reasons for the examples/materials they have selected. The methods statement will not be graded and will not receive a mark, but is mandatory and may be considered by both the module team and in any academic misconduct investigation. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Feedback via Tabula.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
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ULAA-M130 Undergraduate Law
- Year 2 of M130 Law
- Year 2 of M130 Law
- Year 3 of M130 Law
- Year 3 of M130 Law
-
ULAA-M131 Undergraduate Law (4 Year)
- Year 2 of M131 Law (4 year)
- Year 3 of M131 Law (4 year)
- Year 4 of M131 Law (4 year)
-
ULAA-M132 Undergraduate Law (Year Abroad)
- Year 2 of M132 Law (Year Abroad)
- Year 4 of M132 Law (Year Abroad)
-
ULAA-M135 Undergraduate Law and Sociology
- Year 2 of M135 Law and Sociology
- Year 3 of M135 Law and Sociology
- Year 4 of M135 Law and Sociology
-
ULAA-M133 Undergraduate Law with French Law
- Year 2 of M133 Law with French Law
- Year 4 of M133 Law with French Law
-
ULAA-M134 Undergraduate Law with German Law
- Year 2 of M134 Law with German Law
- Year 4 of M134 Law with German Law
-
ULAA-M136 Undergraduate Law with Humanities (3 Year)
- Year 2 of M136 Law with Humanities (3 year)
- Year 3 of M136 Law with Humanities (3 year)
-
UPHA-V7MW Undergraduate Politics, Philosophy and Law
- Year 2 of V7MW Politics, Philosophy and Law
- Year 2 of V7MW Politics, Philosophy and Law
- Year 3 of V7MW Politics, Philosophy and Law
- Year 3 of V7MW Politics, Philosophy and Law