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LS1025: LEGAL SYSTEM (2017-2018)

Last modified: 25 May 2018 11:16


Course Overview

This course introduces the fundamental components and characteristics of the Scottish legal system. It includes a study skills programme which covers different facets of the study of law along with a series of practical workshops which introduce key legal information sources (both electronic and paper) and appropriate search strategies. Lectures and tutorials will cover topics such as the Scottish legal tradition, formal sources of Scots law, the legislative process, organisation of the courts, judicial precedent, civil procedure, alternative dispute resolution, the European legal order, legal services and access to justice.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Professor John Ford

Qualification Prerequisites

  • One of Programme Level 1 or Programme Level 2 or Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either Law (LS) (Studied) or Legal Studies (Ma Honours) (LX) (Studied)
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course introduces the fundamental components and characteristics of the Scottish legal system, including the Scottish legal tradition, the formal sources of Scots law, the legislative process, statutory interpretation, the organisation of the courts, judicial precedent, civil procedure, alternative dispute resolution, the European legal order, legal services and access to justice. The course will include distinctive features of legal literature; key primary, secondary and tertiary UK legal information sources; search strategies for efficient and effective searching and updating of information; use of both paper and electronic resources; academic writing; use of authority; legal citation and referencing.

Further Information & Notes

Available only to candidates for the degree of LLB and MA Legal Studies students.


Contact Teaching Time

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

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (100%). Requirement for submission of the completed reflective logbook (0%).
Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Two non-counting legal searching exercises require students to search for materials in the paper law library and using one of the specialist online legal databases. Both My Aberdeen quizzes allow students to test their knowledge and understanding and to obtain feedback on their answers. A non-counting practice examination

Feedback

Feedback is to be provided as part of the answers to questions in the legal searching My Aberdeen quizzes. All workshops contain a practical exercise and feedback is to be provided as part of each workshop. Feedback will be provided on each student?s practice examination script supplemented by a feedback sheet which will contain details of the appropriate approach and information concerning commonly encountered errors. Appointments are given to all candidates who did particularly poorly, and there is a general invitation to any member of the class who wishes to do so to discuss performance in this foundational course. Feedback also occurs on an on-going basis in the form of the tutors? comments on students? contributions in tutorials. All students are advised they may contact staff at any time on issues related to the course.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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