Postgraduate Course: Current Issues in Criminal Law (LAWS11364)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines current issues, debates and trends in criminal law. It introduces students to important developments in criminal law and the criminal process and to the controversies and debates surrounding these developments, as well as to broader changes in criminal justice that they represent. The course begins by exploring questions of criminalisation: the changing scope of the criminal law and debates over what conduct should and should not be made criminal. It then examines developments in the law relating to specific criminal offences and areas of criminal liability, before turning to aspects of criminal procedure and evidence. The precise content of the course will change year on year, in response to new developments; however, at least some topics from each of these areas will be covered in any given year.
The course begins by exploring questions of criminalisation: the changing scope of the criminal law, and debates over what conduct should and should not be made criminal. It then turns to examine developments in the law relating to specific criminal offences, and some aspects of criminal procedure and evidence, as well as the consequences of criminal conviction. The precise content of the course will change year on year, in response to new developments. However, at least some topics from each of these areas will be covered in any given academic year.
The course begins by exploring questions of criminalisation: the changing scope of the criminal law, and debates over what conduct should and should not be made criminal. It then turns to examine developments in the law relating to criminal procedure and evidence; and finally to sentencing and other consequences of criminal conviction. The precise content of the course will change year on year, in response to new developments. However, at least some topics from each of these areas will be covered in any given academic year. |
| Course description |
This course examines current issues, debates and trends in criminal law. It introduces students to important developments in criminal law and the criminal process and to the controversies and debates surrounding these developments, as well as to broader changes in criminal justice that they represent. The course does not introduce the basics of criminal law and how it operates in different legal systems. Instead, it focuses on recent changes within this field that are important or controversial and that illustrate broader debates and trends. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think critically about these developments and to evaluate proposals for reform of the law.
Because this course focuses on issues of current importance, its precise content is not fixed and will change somewhat from year to year. However, in any given year, the course will examine at least some topics from the following areas:
Criminalisation: changes in the scope of the substantive criminal law and what conduct is and is not criminal (or should and should not be criminal). Indicative seminar topics include the allegedly dramatic expansion of the criminal law in many jurisdictions; the influence of security concerns on the scope of the criminal law; new forms of criminalisation, such as civil preventive orders; and debates over the proper basis for criminal legislation in areas such as drugs and hate crime.
The criminal process: changes to the law governing criminal procedure and evidence, and the rights of suspects and accused persons in criminal cases. Indicative seminar topics include procedural rights and the presumption of innocence; debates around evidence and trial procedure, such as the proper role and structure of the jury system in criminal cases; and guilty pleas and other measures designed to reduce emphasis on criminal trials.
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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 | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative Assessment:
(Component marks to do not contribute to student's overall course mark/grade. The aim of formative assessments is to monitor student learning).
Individual written feedback, with general feedback and advice to be given in class.
Summative Assessment:
(Component marks contribute to student's overall course mark/grade. The aim of summative assessments is to assess student learning).
Summative Assessment:
4,000 Word Essay worth 100% |
| Feedback |
Feedback on the formative assessment may be provided in various formats, for example, to include written, oral, video, face-to-face, whole class, or individual. The course organiser will decide which format is most appropriate in relation to the nature of the assessment.
Feedback on both formative and summative in-course assessed work will be provided in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course.
Feedback on the summative assessment will be provided in written form via Learn, the University of Edinburgh's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and explain a range of current issues relating to criminal law and procedure.
- Explain the relationship of these issues to broader debates and trends within criminal law and criminal justice.
- Critically evaluate relevant legal rules, informed by developments at the forefront of legal research.
- Apply critical insights to proposals for further development of the criminal law.
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Reading List
Required readings will be identified in seminar reading lists. For an indication of the kinds of issues to be examined in this course, these articles will be useful:
- A Ashworth, 'Is the Criminal Law a Lost Cause?' (2000) 116 Law Quarterly Review 225
- A Ashworth and L Zedner, Defending the Criminal Law: Reflections on the Changing Character of Crime, Procedure and Sanctions (2008) 2 Criminal Law and Philosophy 21 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Generic Cognitive Skills:
- Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to forefront issues, or issues that are informed by forefront developments in the subject/discipline/sector
- Identify, conceptualise and define new and abstract problems and issues
- Develop original and creative responses to problems and issues
- Critically review, consolidate and extend knowledge, skills, practices and thinking in a subject/discipline/sector
- Deal with complex issues and make informed judgements in situations in the absence of complete or consistent data/information
Communication, ICT and Numeracy Skills:
- Communicate, using appropriate methods, to a range of audiences with different levels of knowledge/expertise
- Communicate with peers, more senior colleagues and specialists
Autonomy, Accountability and Working with Others:
- Exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in professional and equivalent activities
- Take responsibility for own work and/or significant responsibility for the work of others |
| Keywords | Criminal law; criminalisation; criminal process; criminal procedure; evidence; sentencing; sanction |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Andrew Cornford
Tel: (0131 6)51 4085
Email: A.Cornford@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Susanna Wickes
Tel:
Email: Susanna.Wickes@ed.ac.uk |
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