LAW3567: THE LEGISLATURE AND LEGISLATION

• Introduction to English Law and Legal Method (LAW 1121) and Individual and the State (LAW 1081) and UK Constitutional Law (LAW 1091).

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• This module seeks to redress the typical disregard shown to the most important branch of government - the legislature - and the most important form of law - legoslation. It is divided into two parts: the first concerns the workings of the legislature; the second concerns legislation. Thus, the aims of the module are:
• To gain a critical understanding of the work, roles and functions of the legislature as a separate branch of government;
• To gain a critical understanding of the legislative process and legislation;
• To strengthen students' understanding of statutory interpretation.

• The legislature (eg., theories of the legislature, bicameralism, select committees);
• The legislative process (eg., the nature of legislation; legislative drafting; the parliamentary process);
• The process of statutory interpretation.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students should be able to:
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of some of the key debates concerning legislatures;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the key structures, procedures, and internal dynamics of legislatures (with particular reference to the UK Parliament);
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the legislative processes for both primary and secondary legislation;
• Demonstrate an understanding of theories of statutory construction and the main approaches of statutory interpretation.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Analyse and evaluate the particular institutional and constitutional issues that legislatures face;
• Make a reasoned evaluation of proposed legislation and its effectiveness;
• Critically discuss the findings of scholarly works on legislation and statutory interpretation;
• Critically analyse the standards and techniques judges deploy to determine the meaning of statutes and the intention of legislature.

Key Skills:

• Students should be able to:
• Demonstrate developed research and writing skills, including the ability to work independently and to take responsibility for their own learning;
• Develop critical thinking, research, analytical and writing skills, engage in critical reading of legal and academic texts;
• Make critical judgements on the merits of a range of arguments;
• Apply different interpretation methods to interpret the existing law and formulate strategic legal arguments.

• The modes of teaching, learning and assessment have been chosen in order to facilitate the achievement of the learning outcomes of the module.
• Lectures will concentrate on developing students' knowledge of the subject area and introducing them to the relevant critical, analytical and evaluative skills.
• Tutorials will engage students in critical discussions and deepen students understanding of the roles of legislature, the process of legislation and approaches to statutory interpretation.
• The formative essay will help prepare students for the summative essay and assess the same skills needed for the summative essays. Summative assessment comprises one summative essay of 3000 words (which may require answering two separate questions). The summative essay tests the ability to focus on relevant issues and organise knowledge and argument appropriate to questions raised.

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