Postgraduate Course: The Anatomy of Public Law (LAWS11214)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Where do fundamental rights come from? What is their relationship to democracy? How are they best enforced? What should we do when we disagree about fundamental rights? What¿s wrong with court enforced fundamental rights? How should fundamental rights be balanced with other valuable goals such as democratic government or the rights of others? These and other questions inform the content of this course which will look at the issue of fundamental rights in the broader context of public law and examine the consonances and dissonances between human rights and other public law values such as the separation of powers, democracy and the rule of law.
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| Course description |
Through a focus on fundamental rights, the course will examine the broader area of public law to gain a better understanding of the role of fundamental rights in public law more generally as well as how other values impact upon and influence how we understand fundamental rights. We will also look at the institutional implications of the protection of fundamental rights, including the advantages and disadvantages of court-enforced fundamental rights and the particular tools and methods used by courts to balance fundamental rights protections with other values.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 25 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One essay |
| Feedback |
This will involve working through a sample essay question with the course instructor |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- The course intends to provide a deep understanding of the theory and practice of fundamental rights through an examination of their place within the broader field of public law.
- It will familiarise students with contemporary debates about the current and future development of fundamental rights and public law.
- Students will be encouraged to develop their research skills in the philosophical and comparative dimensions of legal inquiry.
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Reading List
| None is required in advance of this course and seminar readings will be provided in advance of the class |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Developing an ability to understand and present complex materials
- Develop skills in applying novel ideas and concepts to factual situations
- Develop skills in developing clear and coherent lines of argument and defending the argument against counter-arguments
- Develop understanding of multi-faceted problems and finding solutions in a reasoned and justifiable way
- Gaining a good grasp of contemporary issues in law and politics
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| Keywords | public law,constitutional law,constitutional theory,judicial review,human rights |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Cormac Mac Amhlaigh
Tel:
Email: cormac.mac.amhlaigh@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Susanna Wickes
Tel:
Email: Susanna.Wickes@ed.ac.uk |
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