Undergraduate Course: Criminal Law A: Harm, Offence and Criminalisation (LAWS10123)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | This course is concerned with questions of the appropriate parameters of the criminal law: on what basis can the criminal law intervene? The course will consist of an advanced exploration of theoretical justifications for criminalisation, such as the harm principle, and apply those discussions about the legitimacy of the criminal law to specific contexts. This will include an examination of issues such as possession of drugs, hate crimes, prostitution and trafficking, the extra territorial use of criminal law, terrorism, obscenity offences, domestic violence and sexual offences. |
| Course description |
Seminars take the form of an open discussion of the seminar topic. Reading lists will be available from the course website; students are expected to prepare by completing the required reading in advance of seminars. The hand-out includes questions around which the seminar is structured. Participation in class discussion is expected. Experience shows that seminars are at their most helpful (and enjoyable!) when as many people as possible are well prepared and participate actively.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Please note that you are very unlikely to get a place on an Honours Law course unless you are on a direct exchange with the School of Law (this includes Erasmus law exchange students). |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2016/17, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 1 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 38,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
351 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
67 %,
Coursework
33 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Essay (33%) and exam (67%). |
| Feedback |
A formative assessment will be set and circulated at the beginning of semester, with a deadline of mid-November. Feedback will be returned at the last class of the year. This will give students adequate time to reflect on and learn from this feedback, in good time for the submission of the summative assessment in mid-January. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 3:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the theoretical concepts and principles concerning the justification of criminalisation.
- Be familiar with and be able to criticise the primary and secondary literature in this area.
- Be able to evaluate critically the debates about criminalisation within the particular legal contexts studied.
- Be capable of conducting legal research to an advanced level and of communicating this clearly in oral and written form.
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Reading List
There is no prescribed text for the course, though many sessions will refer to Douglas Husak¿s Overcriminalization: The Limits of the Criminal Law (2008), copies of which are available in the library (including an electronic copy). In addition, the following general texts may be of assistance for specific seminars:
A Ashworth, Principles of Criminal Law, 7th edn (2013)
CMV Clarkson, Understanding Criminal Law, 4th edn (2005)
GH Gordon, The Criminal Law of Scotland, 3rd edn by MGA Christie (two vols, 2000 and 2001)
J Herring, Criminal Law: Texts, Cases and Materials, 6th edn (2014)
AP Simester et al, Criminal Law: Theory and Doctrine, 5th edn (2013)
V Tadros, Criminal Responsibility (2005)
WA Wilson, Central Issues in Criminal Theory (2002)
Students may also find it helpful to consult the Scottish Criminal Case Reports for details of recent developments in Scots criminal law, along with relevant journals such as the Criminal Law Review. In addition to UK-based journals, the following may also be of interest (all available electronically):
- Criminal Law and Philosophy
- New Criminal Law Review (previously the Buffalo Criminal Law Review)
- Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Criminal Law |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sharon Cowan
Tel: (0131 6)50 8000
Email: s.cowan@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Heather Haig
Tel: (0131 6)50 2053
Email: Heather.Haig@ed.ac.uk |
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