Studying at York
Foundations in Law I - LAW00008C
- Department: The York Law School
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
The module is compulsory for all students at Stage 1 of the LLB 3 Year; LLB 2 Year Senior Status; LLB with Year Abroad; MLaw. The module provides (a) structured support for students making the transitions to York Law School, to the study of law, and to Problem Based Learning; and (b) a basic introduction to the 'core' subject areas of legal learning, namely Criminal Law; European Law; Obligations (Contract, Tort and Restitution); Property Law (Land Law and Equity); Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law) and on the connections between those subject areas, which will be developed in the course of Foundations in Law 2. Students submit a written task for assessment which evidences the (i) basic development of the skills required to flourish in YLS, and (ii) relevant basic knowledge of the core subject areas.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The module provides structured support for you as you move into the York Law School learning community, which, for many of you, will entail studying law for the first time, and which for most of you, will involve new ways of learning, including problem-based learning (PBL). You will have the opportunity to develop and practise the skills associated with effective problem-based learning. You will also start to develop key skills associated with legal scholarship, including those relating to the undertaking of research, the development of reasoned arguments, the use of evidence, and the practice of critical evaluation. You will also have the chance to reflect on the development of your learning, and to begin to consider strategies and techniques for developing your competence as a scholar. You will also develop an awareness and understanding of key legal institutions, key areas of law, and the relationships between and among them.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you should be able to: 1. Contribute constructively to the effective functioning of a student law firm in the context of problem-based learning; 2. Communicate with a basic level of clarity and precision, with student and staff colleagues, about issues relevant to law; 3. Undertake, describe and reflect on basic research tasks relevant to law; 4. Describe key legal institutions, key prescribed areas of law, and the relationships between and among them; 5. Analyse and evaluate the legal issues in a range of scenarios, and suggest solutions to legal problems; 6. Develop reasoned argument and practise basic critical evaluation in relation to law; 7. Reflect and draw conclusions on the development of your learning, and apply them to further learning contexts in term 1.
Module content
Learning on this module carries forward directly into Foundations in Law 2.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
The summative assessment will be non-anonymous and will be marked by your Personal Advisor. You will receive individual feedback on the assessment and have the opportunity to discuss this with your Personal Advisor.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Ongoing feedback on progress in PBL, skills-related activities (including activities focusing in development of research skills). Feedback and input also available through Junior Partner (student mentor) involvement in some module activities. Written feedback on a formative essay produced collaboratively as a student law firm (SLF) that mirrors the format of the summative assessment.
Indicative reading
Foundations in Law 1 forms part of the problem-based learning component of the law undergraduate programmes. PBL does not involve the use of 'reading lists' in the conventional sense. A range of OUP texts relating to legal institutions, and the 'core' subject areas of legal learning, namely Criminal Law; European Law; Obligations (Contract, Tort and Restitution); Property Law (Land Law and Equity); Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law) are available to students through the Law Trove resource to which YLS subscribes. The Foundations in Law suite of modules integrates subject-content from a number of existing modules: Criminal Law; European Union Law; Obligations 1; Obligations 2; Property Law 1; Property Law 2; Public Law 1; Public Law 2. The texts associated with those modules would also be associated with Foundations in Law (1-4).