HA5000 - Land Law

What will I learn on this module?

You will learn about the law governing ‘real’ property also known as land law. You will be introduced to the foundational concepts in land law and then develop your knowledge and understanding by examining in greater depth the major principles of substantive land law.

Topics include:

• Estates and interests in land and the property legislation of 1925
• Registered land
• The landlord/tenant relationship: leases and leasehold covenants
• Co-ownership and the trust of land
• Interests in land: Easements

There is an emphasis on studying the law in the context of realistic problem based scenarios to develop your ability to apply and interpret land law in the wider context of a hypothetical legal case.

The module develops your professional skills and abilities in understanding how to interpret and apply primary and secondary sources of law, especially statutory provisions, to address legal problems.

The module develops your personal value attributes of intellectual independence and independent thinking. You will be encouraged to ask and answer questions about land law and think about its practical implementation in our everyday lives.

How will I learn on this module?

You will study ‘Land Law’ in one 12-week semester. You will learn through Panopto lectures, seminars, tutor guided independent learning. The lectures will cover the core concepts in land law and facilitate your development of problem solving skills by applying the legal principles to factual scenarios via the use of turning point.

In preparing for seminars you will undertake tutor guided independent learning which will enable you to come to the seminars with prepared answers for discussion. There will also be hands-on activities and exercises given out in seminars to allow you to work in small groups of three or four students and develop group work skills, an important employability skill. The seminar exercises will include the use of conveyancing documents that lawyers use in practice to provide ‘real life’ examples.

Student independent learning will allow you to identify and pursue areas of interest in land law to acquire a deeper/broader knowledge and to reflect on how land law is implemented in everyday life.

You will have plenty of opportunity for formative feedback on your knowledge and understanding of land law as well as opportunities in lectures and seminars to engage with the particular methods of assessment used (MCQs and legal problem questions). Your summative assessment is an unseen exam consisting of ten MCQs and two written answers from a choice of three legal problem questions.

The ‘Land Law’ eLP site contains a module handbook which outlines the content of the module. Lecture slides, digital Panopto lecture recordings (available in advance) and seminar exercises will be made available on the eLP site.

Importantly, you will also learn at work, through reflecting on your experiences and applying your knowledge to your practice in the workplace. The seminars and lectures will introduce you to theories and concepts and allow you to discuss with the tutors and your peers how these relate to your own work based experiences and practice.

You will be building a portfolio of evidence that illustrates your development as a solicitor throughout the second year of the programme. This portfolio will enable you to demonstrate how you have applied your learning from across all second stage modules into your workplace practice.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

You will be supported academically in a number of ways in all aspects of ‘Land Law’ delivery and assessment:

• The use of turning point in lectures which provide immediate feedback on multiple choice questions
• The use of online webcasts and quizzes. The webcasts provide short videos and/or audio podcasts on the principle concepts of land law. The quizzes (which supplement each webcast) provide immediate feedback from multiple choice questions on the material covered in the webcasts
• Unseen MCQs are used in seminars and provide immediate feedback on your understanding of the material covered in the seminar
• Oral feedback from tutors during small-group seminars
• Feedback on the answers to problem scenarios in seminars. You will prepare a written answer in advance of the seminar and during the seminar the tutor will explain the answer to the scenario. Answer guides are available on the University’s e-Learning Portal after the seminar cycle so you can check your answer against it.
• Examples of past exam papers together with answer guides are available on the module e-Learning Portal (eLP) site
• All relevant module information and materials will be made available through the module eLP site which is maintained by the module tutor.

Your module e-Learning Portal site also houses various other support facilities which are provided by the University.

In addition, in order to assist you in developing knowledge, you will have access to the University’s library facilities, including extensive electronic resources, eBooks and electronic academic journal articles.

You may communicate with your module or seminar tutor via the module’s eLP discussion board, by e-mail or telephone at any time and you are encouraged to make contact if you encounter any difficulties with the module.

Support will also include opportunities to gain feedback from your Guidance Tutor. The Programme Leader can be contacted in addition to your Guidance Tutor in respect of any problems.

The Programme Administration Team and Student Progress Team are responsible for the non-academic administration of the module, such as receiving your completed assignment, returning your marked assignment and recording your marks. They and the module tutor will contact you throughout the duration of your module with important dates and other issues.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding:
You will develop knowledge and understanding of the underlying concepts and key principles of substantive land law.

You will apply and interpret land law principles in the wider context of hypothetical legal problem scenarios.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
You will be able to apply primary and secondary source material to address legal problems.

You will develop skills in interpreting and applying statutory provisions.

How will I be assessed?

Formative assessment will take place through the use of turning point in lectures, the use of online quizzes attached to the webcasts, the use of unseen MCQs in seminars, oral feedback in seminars, the use of model answers on the e-Learning Portal and the use of peer review in seminars.

Formative feedback will be provided
throughout the module, particularly in relation to seminar tasks. Marking criteria will be provided from the start of the module to enable you to understand what is expected and how you will be judged on your performance. You will have the opportunity in seminars to engage with the marking criteria and use it to grade past student answers. This enables you to identify what makes a good answer to a legal problem question in land law.

Summative assessment will be by a two hour
unseen examination. The exam consists of two parts. Part I involves ten multiple choice
questions and Part II consists of three legal problem questions of which you must answer two.

Pre-requisite(s)

None

Co-requisite(s)

None

Module abstract

‘Land Law’ provides you with an understanding of key legal concepts relating to land. Think about where you live. You may live in University accommodation or rent property from a private landlord; or you may be living in your parents’ home or with family or friends. It is likely that at some point in the future you hope to buy your own house possibly with a partner. All of this involves land law. So, you can see that regardless of whether you intend to practice land law in your career, a good understanding of land law is a valuable asset as it will give you a better appreciation of what is happening when you buy, sell, rent or occupy land. The module uses examples of ‘real life’ documents and problem scenarios to put the academic law into practice. The module is assessed by an exam which allows you to apply your knowledge of the law to factual scenarios.

Course info

Credits 20

Level of Study Undergraduate

Mode of Study 6 Years Part Time

Department Northumbria Law School

Location City Campus, Northumbria University

City Newcastle

Start September 2024

Fee Information

Module Information

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

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