The twin ideas that well run societies ought to be governed by rules of behaviour, and that no one person should be above the those rules, are some of the most fundamental principles that modern nations live by. The study of Law equips you with the tools to research, to interpret and to question what those rules are, providing valuable skills for life as well as future employment. Students will develop strong practice in critical thinking, reading for meaning, essay writing and analysis in this challenging course. Law can be thought of as both humanities and a social science subject, and goes well with subjects such as psychology, sociology, criminology, politics, economics or business. Law can be useful for those seeking to balance a science-based curriculum with a humanities-based subject based on logic and reasoning. Less commonly, law is sometimes also combined with the study of French, which can provide an advantage for someone considering a career in international law. Given the pervasiveness of law in modern society, law is useful in a wide range of careers. Not only can studying law can lead to legal careers such as solicitor, barrister or a legal executive, but may also support careers in business, accountancy, human resources, data science, management, politics or the financial sector.
In Year One, students will study the law of England and Wales. We examine the legal system as a whole, examining the role of the courts, the legal profession and the role of ordinary citizens within it. How does precedent? How are laws made? What limits them? And what gives law its authority? Moving on to substantive legal rules, we embark on a detailed case study of the civil law of negligence, including recent changes in legal precedent, alongside a similar study of the elemental rules of criminal law, as applied through the crimes of assault, battery, ABH and GBH.
In Year Two, students will progress to a more advanced understanding of Criminal Law and Tort Law, and a detailed study of Human Rights. Students will study the crimes of murder and manslaughter (alongside property offences) and will understand the most common defences to crime, including the partial defences that reduce murder to manslaughter, In tort, students will study detailed rules associated with economic loss and psychiatric injury, as well as indicating the impact of occupiers liability and the law of nuisance on property owners. Finally, students will understand the profound impact that the Human Rights Act 1998 has had on the English legal system and its role in regulating the relationship between citizens and the state, and between each other. Examining jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights, and how this is adapted when it is applied to UK law, students learn the key rules underpinning the rights to life, liberty, security, privacy and the three freedoms of expression, association and assembly.
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