THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Undergraduate Course: Protection of Natural Persons in Scots Private Law (LAWS10263)

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 Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will examine the rights which natural persons hold by virtue of their status as such in Scots private law and the way in which such rights are defined and protected.
Course description This course will examine the rights which natural persons hold by virtue of their status as such in Scots private law and the way in which such rights are defined and protected. In particular, it will look at the rules in the law of delict which relate to bodily integrity, liberty and personality rights. It will consider the extent to which protection of these rights are balanced or set against other policy aims. It will also consider the extent to which these rules would be better understood by starting with rights rather than wrongs and what implications the balancing exercise mentioned in the previous sentence have for the plausibility of a rights-based approach. In doing so, students will consider both the policy debates which bear on the scope of the protection afforded to these interests and discussions about the best way to construct the law in conceptual terms. For further detail, please see the indicative teaching outline below.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 100% summative essay
Feedback The core opportunity for feedback is class discussion. In addition, there will be two opportunities for formative feedback: a short, written answer (1000 words) in week 3 and a longer piece (2500 words) to be submitted in week 7.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Outline how Scots private law protects natural persons¿ interests in their physical integrity, psychological well-being, reputation, privacy and liberty.
  2. Engage deeply with case law and secondary literature on these topics
  3. Assess the balance struck between these interests and competing interests or policy concerns.
  4. Analyse and evaluate the extent to which Scots law¿s protection of these interests can be helpfully understood in terms of primary rights held be natural persons.
  5. Present their arguments on these topics accessibly and rigorously
Reading List
EC Reid, The Law of Delict in Scotland (2022)
EC Reid, Personality, Confidentiality and Privacy in Scots Law (2010)
A Beever, A Theory of Tort Liability (2016)
R Stevens, Torts and Rights (2007)

Extensive use will be made of case law and some journal literature relevant to particular seminars.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Research and enquiry
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Communication
KeywordsDelict,Personal Injury,Personality Rights,Privacy,Defamation
Contacts
Course organiserDr John MacLeod
Tel:
Email: John.Macleod@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Emma Hughes
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: Emma.Hughes@ed.ac.uk
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