Skip to main content
 

LAW1061: EUROPEAN UNION LAW

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Tied
Level 1
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Law

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To provide a general understanding of the basic institutions of the European Union, of the basic concepts and principles of European Union Law, and of the legal framework for the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom after Brexit.

Content

  • European integration: the historical, political and economic foundations of the European Union;
  • The institutions of the EU;
  • EU competences, the principles of EU law-making and the EU legislative process;
  • The effect of EU law in the national legal orders;
  • Judicial protection of EU law rights before the Court of Justice of the EU and before national courts;
  • The protection of fundamental rights in EU law;
  • An introduction to the EU internal market;
  • The legal framework for the relationship between the EU and the UK before, during and after the Brexit process.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Students should be able to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of basic principles of the law of the European Union.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Students should be able to apply the law of the European Union and analyse and understand its development.

Key Skills:

  • Students should be able to demonstrate basic analytical and writing skills, including the ability to work independently and for the student to take responsibility for his/her own learning.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures are used primarily to impart knowledge - and also to suggest approaches to evaluation and critical analysis;
  • Tutorials will be used to develop and enhance the capacity of students to solve legal problems in a particular factual situation, evaluative critical analysis and their appreciation of laws' linkage with broader fields of enquiry;
  • The formative assessment is used both to develop problem-solving skills, the ability to engage in sustained evaluation of proposed schemes of reforms, and the ability to evaluate the law in a critical and contextual way;
  • The summative assessment comprises a written exam;
  • The exam tests the ability to focus on relevant legal issues and organise knowledge and arguments appropriate to the questions raised. The exam questions will provide the means for students to demonstrate the acquisition of subject knowledge and the development of their problem-solving skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures21weekly (one revision lecture in Easter Term)1 hour21 
Tutorials5Normally: two in Michaelmas Term; two in Epiphany Term; one in Easter Term1 hour5Yes
Preparation and Reading174 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Written examination2 hours100yes

Formative Assessment

One essay of 1,500 words.

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.