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LAW3571: ADMINISTRATIVE 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 Open
Level 3
Credits 20
Availability Not available in 2024/2025
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Law

Prerequisites

  • Law of Torts (LAW1051) and Law of Contract (LAW1071) and The Individual and the State (LAW1081) and UK Constitutional Law (LAW1091).

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • Building on LAW1081 in particular, this module aims to develop an advanced understanding of administrative law and the administrative state in the United Kingdom. It will focus on key issues of contemporary academic debate and/or practical significance, as well as seeking to give students a solid grounding in administrative law theory.

Content

  • The module will consist of six topics in administrative law theory and practice, encompassing administrative institutions and administrative decision-making; judicial review and administrative justice; and other regimes of administrative control.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Students will have:
  • A thorough knowledge of the major strands of administrative law theory in the United Kingdom;
  • An in-depth knowledge of key topics in administrative law, including relevant theoretical, doctrinal, empirical and contextual perspectives;
  • A familiarity with the relevant primary and secondary legal materials, and the dimensions of relevant academic and practical debates surrounding key issues.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Students should be able to:
  • Understand the relevance of theories about the historical and potential future development of administrative law in the United Kingdom;
  • Analyse and evaluate aspects of contemporary administrative law in the light of the legal, social and political questions raised;
  • Engage in informed debate concerning shortcomings in the existing law and options for reform.

Key Skills:

  • Students should be able to:
  • Demonstrate an ability to understand and critically analyse primary and secondary legal sources;
  • Develop expertise in conducting research into legal issues, drawing upon a variety of primary and secondary materials;
  • Demonstrate an ability to explore complex issues in writing in a clear, well-structured and scholarly manner.

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

  • The module will be taught through a series of twelve two-hour seminars (in groups of up to 30 students). The seminar format is intended to encourage pre-session reading and preparation followed by in depth discussion. Two seminars will be devoted to each of the six topics, with the first topic normally being devoted to administrative law theory. This is intended to allow students to develop an in-depth understanding of a range of topics in administrative law, but also to understand the connections between them;
  • The module will be assessed by two, 2,500 word summative essays, plus an optional 1,500 word formative essay. This mode of assessment is intended to ensure that students meet the knowledge, analysis, research and communication skills outcomes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
seminars12Normally: six per term2 hrs24Yes
Preparation and reading176 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: Summative EssayComponent Weighting: 50%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
summative essay2500 words100N
Component: Summative EssayComponent Weighting: 50%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
summative essay2500 words100N

Formative Assessment

One optional 1,500 word essay.

More information

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