Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB)

Educational aims

The law degree aims to provide learners of all backgrounds and abilities with the opportunity to explore and develop their interest in the law and legal system of England and Wales. By the end of your degree you should be able to explain what the law means for you individually and the society in which you live.  You will be able to explain what the law is and how it affects you on an individual basis. You will also be able to identify how the law affects others and recognise where the law is failing to protect the vulnerable or enabling social justice, fairness or equal opportunities in society.

• provide you with the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the legal system of England and Wales
• provide you with an opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the role and function of law in an increasingly globalised world
• enable you to become independent learners, and to develop other associated and transferable skills and attributes
• provide those who wish to continue their legal education and progress on to the vocational stage of training with the intellectual and practical skills necessary to do this effectively. 

Learning outcomes

Learners who are awarded the LLB will have demonstrated their competence in each of the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this degree, you will have knowledge and understanding of:

• the concepts, values, rules and principles of the legal system of England and Wales, and some awareness of the powers exercised by the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales,
• a range of areas of substantive law of England and Wales and their impact on individuals and society,
• the social, political, economic, historical and ethical dimensions of law,
• the impact of technology on the law.

Cognitive skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

• ask and answer appropriate questions about law and legal systems, identifying gaps in your own knowledge,
• combine and criticise various sources of legal authority, identify their merits and shortcomings, and make a reasoned choice between them,
• apply legal principles and authority to develop reasoned answers to questions,
• recognise ambiguity, and deal with uncertainty in law.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

• conduct independent legal research,
• identify, retrieve and evaluate legal information from a range of electronic and other sources,
• communicate clear, relevant and accurate legal information in language appropriate to the intended audience,
• acknowledge the sources of information that you have used, in a style appropriate to the task.

Key skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to demonstrate the following skills:

• communicate relevant ideas clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing,
• work with a range of textual, numerical and statistical data,
• reflect on your own learning and development, making effective use of feedback, and demonstrating a willingness to acknowledge and correct errors,
• collaborate effectively with others, including negotiating, undertaking and performing agreed tasks.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

All modules will be delivered online using a module study planner. You will also be directed to third party materials through the online module units.

You are provided with opportunities to enhance your learning by engaging with fellow students, tutors and other members of the module team via online tutorials and forums. Some modules may provide additional online sessions for example library sessions led by library staff and module wide briefings.

Assessment is designed to include a range of formative and summative tasks appropriate to the stage of study including online activities and written assignments. Each Stage 1 and 2 module will also include regular interactive computer-marked assignments to prepare those students wanting to be a solicitor in England and Wales (Part 1 of the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination is assessed entirely by multiple choice questions).  

Stage 1 modules will be assessed by interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs) and tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) only. Stage 2 and 3 modules will be assessed by single component assessment comprising a mixture of iCMAs, TMAs, end-of-module tutor-marked assignments (emTMAs), and end-of-module assessments (EMAs). Online tutorials will usually occur prior to the submission of TMAs, emTMAs, and EMAs will be an opportunity to ensure you have consolidated your knowledge and understanding of the relevant materials and acquired general and legal study skills to enable you to complete the assessment. 

Assessment will be scaffolded appropriately though the degree so that you have the opportunity to practice your skills in formative assessment before any summative assessment. The level of complexity of assessment will also increase incrementally across the modules and stages to build on previous assessment and support you by acquiring the necessary skills.

You will have access to a Law Undergraduate Guide which will set out guidance on assessment including the meaning of commonly used words and phrases in assessment tasks and the characteristics expected of assessment in each assessment scale.