HA5001 - Public Law

You will study ‘Public law’ in one 12 week semester. You will learn through lectures, seminars and tutor guided independent learning.

There will be 24 lectures which will introduce you to the major principles of each Public Law topic. In preparation for the lectures you are encouraged to complete the indicative reading to support your learning in the lectures. You will be able to review material from lectures via ‘Panopto recordings’ in preparation for your seminars. A range of seminar tasks including presentations, debates, factual scenarios and question and answer sessions will provide an opportunity for you to test and develop your knowledge and understanding on the major principles of Public Law. Within both the lectures and seminars historical and current political and legal issues, case law and academic writing will be used to allow you to understand how the major principles of Public Law apply in practical terms.

The Public Law eLP contains; a module handbook which outlines the module content, lecture slides and Panopto recording, seminar exercises, an electronic reading list, access to webcast material as well as indication of useful online resources such as the Parliament site of the Constitutional Law blog.

You will receive formative feedback on your knowledge and understanding of public law as well as a number of opportunities to engage with the method of assessment (namely oral presentation) used in the module.

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.

You will be supported academically in all aspects of ‘Public Law’ delivery and assessment. Lectures, seminars and your independent study will allow you to develop a breadth and depth of understanding for each inter-related topic. You will receive feedback from your seminar tutor on your preparation for each seminar and your participation in group and class discussions. The seminars are also designed to give you increasing experience and confidence in making oral presentations.

Your tutor and your fellow students will give you formative feedback on your presentations to the class so that your research, analysis and presentation skills are honed in preparation for your final oral assessment. You will study the marking scheme for your oral assessment in advance and you will receive detailed feedback once completed.

Your module is also supported by an e-Learning Portal (eLP), which houses all the module learning materials, workshop resources, interactive activities, assessment details and 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.

Public Law is a complex subject and 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.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
You will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of the inter-related
development, doctrines, principles and rules of the uncodified UK constitution and its administration. You will be able to initiate and undertake critical analysis of public law topics within an institutional, national, European and global context.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
You will develop your research skills and understand how to apply a range of source materials to address imprecise problems in public law. You will be able to identify ambiguous and uncertain legal doctrines and
be able to propose reasoned and alternative
solutions. You will develop your oral presentation skills to specialist and non-specialist audiences and be able to support your position through a critical judgment of the merits of particular academic and legal arguments.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
You will develop intellectual independence by being able to ask and answer cogent questions about constitutional and administrative law, identifying gaps in your knowledge and acquiring new knowledge through directed and independent research.

Formative assessment

The seminars are designed to give you increasing experience of and confidence in making oral presentations. Your tutor and your peers will give you immediate oral feedback on your oral presentations through appraisal, questioning and guidance. You will also receive tutor and peer feedback on your preparation for and engagement in seminars by way of group and class exercises and discussion.

Summative Assessment is by way of an individual oral presentation of 10 minutes in length which constitutes 100% of the marks for the module.

Assessment criteria are provided in advance to enable you to understand what is expected of you and how your presentation will be judged. You will be provided with detailed written feedback on your oral assessment. This feedback will promote your own reflective development for the final year/s of your degree.

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Public law is the law that governs the state and its relationship with its citizens. You will learn about the historical development and current state of the UK’s uncodified constitution and study fundamental legal concepts such as the rule of law, separation of powers and parliamentary supremacy. The Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights are studied in some detail, as is the individual right to challenge decisions of the state through judicial review. The module is examined through a single oral assessment which is based on your own independent library-based and online legal research. You will find that the knowledge, research and presentation skills developed on this module are essential for the final years of your degree and later career development, be that in the law or any other profession.