- Course Code
- LS 1021
- Credit Points
- 15
- Course Coordinator
- TBA
Pre-requisites
None
Notes
Available only to candidates for the degree of LLB and MA Legal Studies students.
Overview
The course will contain a coverage of: the characteristics of civil and criminal procedure; key events in the historical development of the Scottish legal system eg. the Treaty and Act of Union 1706-7, the Scotland Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998; the hierarchy and organisation of the Scottish court and tribunals system and (in outline) the main English courts; the formal sources of Scots law and their relative authority inter se; the rules and approaches to statutory interpretation; the operation of the system of binding precedent; European law making institutions and the European sources of law; the procedural stages through which a civil action moves from initiation to final resolution; nature, roles, structure, standards and regulation of the legal profession in Scotland; alternative methods of resolving disputes eg. mediation, arbitration.
Structure
36 one-hour lectures and 4 one-hour tutorials.
Assessment
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (100%).
Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).
Formative Assessment
- Two library exercises which require students have to search for materials in the Law Library.
- During one of the tutorials students have to work in teams of three to answer a set of questions from a file of materials provided by the tutor who, at the end of the tutorial, reviews their written answers.
- Two quizzes on the organisation and jurisdiction of the Scottish and English civil courts.
- A Practice exam held in the seventh week of the semester.
- On a less formal basis, verbal feedback is given during tutorial discussions.
Feedback
The assessment in para. 1 above is marked by the student's tutor and returned with detailed written comments.
The assessment in para. 2 - oral feedback is given by the tutor at the close of tutorial.
The quizzes in para 3 are gone over in a lecture after students have had time to prepare their answers.
For the Practice exam mentioned in para 4, very detailed written feedback comments are put on each script, supplemented by a lecture hour which goes over all aspects of the exam performance.
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.