LLB Law

The unit will cover: 

1. The composition and role of the main institutions of the EU 

2. An introduction to EU law-making 

3. The effect of EU law in domestic legal systems, including an introduction to the effect of EU law in the UK post-Brexit 

4. Actions in the Court of Justice of the European Union 

5. An introduction to EU internal market law, including: 

6. Free movement of goods 

7. Free movement of persons 

The unit aims to:

- Examine and evaluate the constitutional structure of the EU and the legal relationship between the EU and its Member States.

- Provide an introduction to the concept of the internal market and evaluate the key legal principles in the free movement of goods and persons in that internal market. 

This optional course unit is available to LLB Law, Law with Criminology and Law with Politics students in Year 3 of their studies. It is one of the Foundations of Legal Knowledge subjects required for students wishing to satisfy the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar Standards Board.

This course unit uses a combination of lectures and 2-hour workshops as the scheduled teaching and learning activities. 

Lectures will introduce the content and skills taught on this course. Appropriate time within the lecture schedule will introduce the skills covered by the poster presentation assessment, including methods to support successful group work and the requirements of a poster presentation. 

Workshops provide students with the opportunity for in-depth discussion of the course content and to practice their analytical and problem-solving skills. Workshops will be led by a staff member who will guide the student discussion and organise group activities using guidance from the course director. Each workshop will have one activity dedicated to supporting students to prepare their poster presentation, providing them with time to work on the activity within their group with the support of the workshop leader and an opportunity to ask for further guidance if required. These activities will scaffold the students through their completion of the poster, starting with an activities focused on helping the students to plan their time as a group and choose a topic and moving onto activities focused on research and preparing the visuals for the poster.

This course unit has a Blackboard page which will be used to deliver the range of course materials and information about teaching, learning and assessment for that course unit. This page will also include optional online resources and activities for students to complete outside of scheduled teaching time to support their learning.

Identify and understand the constitutional and institutional structure of the EU and the wider political context in which the EU operates. 

Explain and critically evaluate the methods by which EU law is integrated within the domestic legal systems of EU member states and, residually, within the United Kingdom. 

Explain and critically evaluate the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the enforcement and interpretation of EU law both at an EU level and domestically within Member State legal systems. 

Identify and analyse the concept of the EU internal market. 

Identify and analyse the scope, effect and limitations of key EU legal provisions in the fields of free movement of goods and persons, and evaluate these provisions in light of the EU’s wider social and political context. 
 

Apply EU legal methodology to make a reasoned judgement on an area of law.
Develop and demonstrate problem-solving, analytical and essay-writing skills
Independently conduct doctrinal legal research on a specified topic of EU law.
Synthesise doctrinal and policy issues in relation to a topic.
 

Locate, navigate and reference primary and secondary sources of EU law and other legal materials.
Present a logically reasoned and persuasive written argument on a specified area of EU law and support that argument with appropriate evidence.
Present legal information in a visual format.
 

Work independently and as part of a team to plan and undertake tasks.

Critically assess the validity and utility of different sources.

 

Poster (prepared by student group) - 500 words, 30%

Exam - 2 hours, 70%

Written individual / group feedback provided within the standard university timeframe. 

Link to reading list for current LAWS20900 European Union Law unit