Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 19 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Lecture | 21 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Seminar | 5 x 1 Hour Seminars |
| Seminar | 3 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Exam . Candidates may bring into the examination unmarked copies of Blackstones EU Treaties and Legislation OR Palgrave and Macmillan, Core EU Legislation OR Routledge European Union Legislation OR OUP, Rudden and Wyatts EU Treaties and Legislation. Unmarked material which is permitted to be taken into the examination must remain unmarked for the duration of the examination. Highlighting and underlining are permitted. Blank post-it notes can be used to mark pages. | 60% |
| Semester Assessment | Assessed Essay (2,000 words) | 40% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Exam - if failed element . Candidates may bring into the examination unmarked copies of Blackstones EU Treaties and Legislation OR Palgrave and Macmillan, Core EU Legislation OR Routledge European Union Legislation OR OUP, Rudden and Wyatts EU Treaties and Legislation. Unmarked material which is permitted to be taken into the examination must remain unmarked for the duration of the examination. Highlighting and underlining are permitted. Blank post-it notes can be used to mark pages. | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Assessed Essay (2,000 words) - if failed element | 40% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Explain and analyze the significance of the fundamental constitutional and institutional structures of the European Union
2. Show evidence of having completed legal research in order to demonstrate an advanced level of competence in locating and using both primary and secondary sources of European law as well as doctrinal and theoretical perspectives on European law.
3. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of how different categories of European law interact with national legal systems.
4. Elucidate, in a comprehensive manner, the principles on which the internal market is based and how these are reflected in Treaty provisions and developed in secondary legislation and case law of the European Court of Justice.
5. Apply the relevant legal principles to the resolution, clarification and development of theoretical and/or practical problems which raise issues relating to aspects of European Union Law.
Brief description
European Union (EU) law is a very large body of rules which govern a wide spectrum of commercial and social activities at member state level. The course covers both substantive and institutional law.
Aims
This module introduces the materials and methodologies of European legal orders and explains the principal features of the legal regimes based on the European Union. The module focuses particularly on the processes of law-making; the implementation and enforcement of EU law and policy; the legal accountability of the European Union institutions; the relationship between the EU and national systems, together with important areas of the substantive law of the EU, such as the legal rules governing the internal market.
Content
- The history of the development of European Integration
- The Nature of EU Law: The meaning and development of the Doctrine of the Supremacy of EU law; the Doctrine of direct effect; Competences and Categories of Law (Regulations, Directives, Decisions)
- The institutional structure of the European Union: Commission, Council and Parliament (composition and powers); the Composition and Institutional Structure of the EU Courts; the Role of the Advocate General; the Working Methods and Reasoning Process of the European Courts
- EU law-making processes: Formal Law-Making Processes and 'Soft Law'
- Implementation and enforcement of European Union rules: the role of National Courts and the Preliminary Reference Procedure; Direct Effect; State Liability Commission Enforcement of EU Rules
- Accountability in EU law: Judicial Review of Union Action; Grounds of Judicial Review of Union Action
- Internal Market Regulation
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Preparation for, and discussion, in seminars. Coursework and examination assessment. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Post-lecture research and seminar preparation. |
| Information Technology | Post-lecture research and seminar preparation. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Learning throughout the module will be relevant to a career in the legal profession. |
| Problem solving | Preparation for and discussion of problem-solving questions in seminars. |
| Research skills | Post-lecture research and seminar preparation. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Legal research: use of specifically designed legal databases as a resource for statute and case law. |
| Team work | Seminar work and written assignment: preparation and group discussions. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6