Teaching and Assessment

We aim to ensure that students acquire not only knowledge of legal materials but also the perspectives from which to view such material and the capacity for critical inquiry and analysis. In parallel with the development of these specifically legal skills, the Department seeks to develop transferable skills such as good general communication, the ability to retrieve and handle information competently and, importantly, the development of self-confidence, personal responsibility and self-awareness on the part of students.

The teaching methods used in the Department, lectures and seminars, are designed to nurture these skills. Lectures serve as a basic introduction to the subjects and highlight and discuss more complex ideas and principles. Seminars provide a forum in which more detailed discussion takes place in smaller groups on assignments which the students prepare in advance. A key part of the law degree is the independent reading carried out by students in order to follow up issues raised in lectures and to prepare for seminars. Seminar assignments and written work are designed to develop the ability to analyse a question, to research, assimilate and apply information and to present an answer in a clear and precise manner. Research skills are further encouraged by the option of writing two dissertations in the course of the degree on a legal topic chosen by the student. Students are examined at the end of each module.  Assessment methods vary across the modules and may include written examinations, coursework, oral presentations or a combination of these.