Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 4 x 2 hour seminars (8 hours) |
| Lecture | 2 x 1 hour lectures per week (22 hours) |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Seminar essay. | 40% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module. | 40% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module. | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Describe the basis of the UK legal system, its relationship to the international systems and the legal framework governing regulation of the UK environment.
2. Discuss the relationships between the conceptual frameworks underpinning environmental law, and some statute and case law.
3. Describe the substance, structures and application of environmental law.
4. Compare different approaches to environmental regulation.
5. Appreciate the difficulties inherent to incorporating scientific evidence into legal rules and principles.
Brief description
This module introduces students to selected aspects of the legal rules and principles governing the regulation of the natural environment in the UK. In addition to providing knowledge of substantive UK environmental law, the module examines some of the underlying policy issues related to environmental protection. The module aims to develop critical perspectives on substantive legal issues by considering the complex social, economic and political context in which these rules and principles exist. It concludes with a detailed consideration of relevant examples as seen from an ecological perspective.
Content
The module then considers environmental law and regulation specific to pollution of the main environmental media (land, water and air) and to habitat conservation. This section provides a legal and regulatory perspective on the effectiveness of the Law in protecting terrestrial and marine environments, including some discussion of the problems encountered in achieving this protection.
Case studies - Case studies provide an ecological perspective on examples of the implementation of environmental laws and regulations in the natural environment.
Assessment - The nature of the subject area precludes any practicable option for coursework that would not simply duplicate the format of examination questions.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Development of written expression in the subject, assessed in examination. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Scholarly review of recent peer-review publications in the topic for examination and case study reports. |
| Information Technology | IT skills will be developed in research for case studies. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Basic understanding of the legal system essential to career in environmental science. |
| Problem solving | Incorporation of scientific knowledge into legal frameworks and problems of their compatibility, assessed in examination. |
| Research skills | Case study preparation using library and web resources, assessed in examination. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Subject specific concepts relating to environmental law and regulation will be developed and assessed in examinations. |
| Team work | Case study sessions involve interactions within groups. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6