THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Undergraduate Course: Media Law (LAWS10093)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Law CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryThis course is concerned with the law relating to the communications media in this country. First, the media will be discussed in a historical and social context, with examination of the types, ownership and financing of media institutions, and exploration of the motives and means of regulation. Secondly, there will be consideration of the special regimes and laws which affect the media, including the laws applying to theatre, cinema, video, broadcasting and the press, and other mechanisms for quality control and accountability. Thirdly, there will be an examination of the limits on the scope of communication imposed by the general law, in order to protect public interests (such as reputation, confidentiality and privacy).
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Public Law of the UK and Scotland (LAWS08123) AND Public Law and Individual Rights (LAWS08132)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Spaces on this course are allocated as part of the Law Honours Course Allocation process. Places are generally only available to students who must take Law courses. To request a space on this course, please email Law.UGO@ed.ac.uk
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesThis course is only open to visiting students coming through a direct exchange with the School of Law (including Erasmus students on a Law-specific Exchange). Exchange students outside of Law and independent study abroad students are not eligible to enrol in this course, with no exceptions.

**Please note that 3rd year Law courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.**
Priority will be given to students studying on exchange within the Law department, and it is highly unlikely that there will be additional spaces for general exchange students & independent study abroad students to enrol; we will look into this on a case-by-case basis in September/January. Visiting students are advised to bear in mind that enrolment in specific courses can never be guaranteed, and you may need to be flexible in finding alternatives in case your preferred courses have no available space.

These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces.

Students must have passed Public Law of the UK and Scotland (LAWS08123) AND Public Law and Individual Rights (LAWS08132) or equivalent courses at their home institution.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  32
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 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 67 %, Coursework 33 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Essay (33%) and exam (67%)
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)3:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. This course is concerned with the law relating to the mass communications media in this country. It has these learning objectives:
  2. A. To develop knowledge and understanding of - (i) the special regimes and laws for the mass media; (ii) the limits on communications which are imposed by the general law in protection of public interests or personal interests; (iii) the types, ownership, and financing of media institutions, the context in which laws and regulation operate, and other mechanisms of control and accountability.
  3. B. In so doing, to develop students' abilities and skills in respect of - (i) use of legal materials, and legal reasoning; (ii) appreciation of law in its context; (iii) evaluation and criticism of law; (iv) legal research, in part so that the knowledge and understanding gained may be applied and adapted in future; and (v) transferable skills: (a) communication skills, oral and in writing; (b) intellectual skills, of collecting, organising, evaluating, synthesising and presenting material and arguments; (c) general skills, in managing time, working independently, and taking responsibility for their own work.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Rachael Craufurd-Smith
Tel: (0131 6)50 2061
Email: r.c.smith@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Emma Hughes
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: Emma.Hughes@ed.ac.uk
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