Undergraduate Course: Scottish Legal System (LAWS08128)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course is an introduction to the Scottish legal system as well as the general skills needed for studying law. It is mainly directed at students who are following programmes of study in the School of Law or programmes in other Schools with a substantial content of law.
The aims of the course are:
1. To impart information about the legal system of Scotland (within the framework of the United Kingdom), including the principal sources and divisions of the law, court structures, legal history, civil and criminal procedure, and the law and institutions of the European Union.
2. To develop legal skills relating to legal method, specifically skills in relation to the use and interpretation of legislation and case law, which are the primary sources of law.
3. To develop critical thinking about the law. |
| Course description |
On completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the following:
1. The Scottish legal system (and of legal systems and legal families in general); Scottish legal institutions; the rule of law; the composition, powers and functions of parliaments and governments in the UK;
2. The history of Scottish legal institutions and sources;
3. The elements of civil and criminal procedure;
4. The main sources of law in Scotland, particularly legislation and judicial precedent;
5. The law and institutions of the European Union (EU) in the context of the legal systems of the UK.
Students will have had the opportunity to develop the distinctive reading and reasoning skills needed for legal study, particularly in interpreting legislation and case law.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Whilst this course is available to all undergraduate students, it is designed primarily for (i) students who are taking the LLB, and (ii) students who are taking some other degree programme that has a substantial component of law courses. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 300 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
151 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
90 %,
Coursework
10 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The coursework will consist of a multiple choice test (10%), which will be released separately from the written exam (90%). The written exam will be conducted online. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 9:00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- The Scottish legal system (and of legal systems and legal families in general); Scottish legal institutions; the rule of law; the composition, powers and functions of parliaments and governments in the UK;
- The history of Scottish legal institutions and sources;
- the law of persons and personality; the law of property; the law of obligations;
- The elements of civil and criminal procedure;
- The law and institutions of the European Union (EU) in the context of the legal systems of the UK. Students will have had the opportunity to develop the distinctive reading and reasoning skills needed for legal study, particularly in interpreting legislation and case law.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Having completed the course students should be able to demonstrate a basic ability to:
Recognise, analyse and rank arguments and evidence in terms of relevance and importance by:
o managing volume of legal sources and select key material to construct written or oral answers to a problem.
o identifying the legal problem from information provided.
o addressing problems by reference to relevant material.
o bringing together and integrating information and materials from a variety of different sources.
o acknowledging ranking of sources and relative impact in context.
o application of the law and problem-solving in a legal context.
o presenting arguments for and against propositions.
Be aware that arguments require to be supported by evidence, in order to meet legal requirements of proof by showing awareness of the need for evidence to support arguments.
Apply knowledge and analysis:
o in a legal context
o creatively to complex situations in order to provide arguable solutions to concrete problems by presenting a range of viable options from a set of facts and law.
Think critically and make critical judgments on the relative and absolute merits of particular arguments and solutions.
Act independently in planning and undertaking tasks in areas of law which he or she has already studied.
Reflect on his or her own learning, and to seek and make use of feedback. |
| Keywords | Scottish Legal System |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Fox
Tel: (0131 6)50 2054
Email: D.Fox@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Tracy Noden
Tel: (0131 6)50 2053
Email: Tracy.Noden@ed.ac.uk |
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