LS401C: ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (HONOURS) (2014-2015)

Course Aims: 1. To introduce students to the key legal principles and rules pertinent to the protection of the environment. 2. To provide students with an in-depth knowledge of ways in which law is used currently to protect the environment. This knowledge and awareness of the main issues with which environmental law grapples will enable students to analyse critically the adequacy of existing laws for protecting the environment. 3. To promote scrutiny and critical analysis of legal concepts and rules against the political, economic and social context within which they operate. 4. To promote reflection on how law could be used more effectively to address the socio-economic drivers of environmental degradation. Main Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge and understanding of the principles of environmental law and the legal rules governing environmental protection in selected areas. 2. Familiarity with the literature and legal sources of environmental law, enabling students to keep their specialist knowledge up to date in the future. 3. An ability to assess critically the adequacy of existing laws for environmental protection and to consider what alternative legal approaches could be used to improve protection of the environment. Key Skills (Transferable) The ability to synthesise, analyse and criticise the concepts, rules and theories of environmental regulation; the ability to carry out research and to extract and assimilate the relevant information necessary in producing structured written work; the ability to participate effectively in class and to express ideas cogently orally and in writing. Content: Humanity is confronted by an environmental crisis. Local, regional and global environments are experiencing rapid and accelerating deterioration that is in large part due to the negative impacts of human activities on them. The first half of the course considers the key legal principles that have been developed during the last forty years to address this situation, and assesses whether they are capable of providing effective environmental protection. The second half looks at ways in which law has been used to tackle specific sources of environmental harm including unsustainable uses of land and pollutants that threaten to destabilise the global environment (e.g. carbon, ozone depleting substances) by altering atmospheric composition. Environmental law derives from several sources, and the course will draw from international, European and UK/Scottish law as necessary to provide a comprehensive overview of the areas of law that it examines.

This course is also available to candidates for the MA European Legal Studies or Legal Studies as a 30 credit course (LX 401C). This variation of the course will require an additional element of assessment.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

View LS401C Timetable

More Information about Week Numbers

1 three-hour written examination (75%) and an essay of 2500 words (25%). MA Legal Studies/European Legal Studies students will have an additional non-counting essay of 1500 words. Resit: None.

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback will be provided on the feedback form within three weeks from the date of submission.

None.