Alongside the study of legal judgments and statutes, you will examine the impact of economic, cultural and political change on law, and will consider how law affects life beyond the courtroom. The course makes the most of our strong research and teaching interest in the economic, social, philosophical and political links by allowing you flexibility to select optional modules from within Classics and Ancient History, English and Comparative Literary Studies, Film and Television, History, History of Art, Theatre and Performance, French Studies, German Studies, Hispanic Studies, Italian Studies and Philosophy.

In your first year you will study core elements of law. In subsequent years there is greater opportunity to concentrate on humanities modules in addition to your legal studies. You will be developing an interdisciplinary view of the law by devoting about 75% of your degree to studying law modules and the remainder to a choice of optional modules offered by our Humanities departments in the Faculty of Arts.

Core Modules

Year One

During your first year you will study the following core modules:

• Criminal Law: You will develop an understanding of the general principles of criminal law and its operation within society, coupled with an awareness of the social and political forces that influence the scope of the law and its enforcement. You will encounter basic concepts of the structure of English Criminal Law, and gain some knowledge of procedures, theories, and historical and political contexts, so as to understand and debate legal arguments and policy. In your studies, you will be expected to assess and present arguments for and against in open debate and also work collaboratively with your peers on specific tasks.
• Tort Law: You will examine the law of civil liability for wrongfully inflicted damage or injury: the law of tort. We emphasise the processes and techniques involved in judicial (as opposed to legislative or administrative) law-making; the relevance and responsiveness of doctrines thus developed to society’s actual problems; and the policies and philosophies underlying the rules. As well as acquiring knowledge of the application of these technical areas of law, you will develop skills of legal reasoning and critical judgement, with particular reference to insurance, loss spreading, developing medical knowledge, professional standards and consumer protection. Work is undertaken independently and in debate and collaboration with your peers.
• Understanding Law in Context: This module will provide you with a sound introduction to the study of Law at Warwick. It aims to explore the meaning of Law in Context as a concept and approach. It will incorporate an understanding of English legal method within the institutional context of the English legal system and engage with the importance of legal theory in this respect. You will gain a critical overview of the machinery of justice at the heart of the English legal system, become familiar with fundamental legal techniques and develop an understanding of law and theory. All subjects will be taught primarily through participatory and problem-based exercises in workshops and seminars (of approximately 20-25 students) where you will have the opportunity to test and develop the fundamental legal knowledge and core skills necessary throughout your studies.
• Law State and the Individual: You will study the sources of law (Acts of Parliament, common law rules, conventions) and foundational concepts (such as the legislative supremacy of Parliament, the rule of law and separation of powers) through the critical reading and understanding of academic material and legal texts. We will consider the role of politics and economics and the institutional and theoretical aspects of the law, alongside the law’s relationship to the state and individuals. You will also become familiar with the purposes, limits and possibilities of legal language and methods. The module consists of a mixture of participatory and problem-based exercises, workshops, and more orthodox lecture and seminar work through which you will develop and test your knowledge and practical legal skills.

Year Two

In your second year you will study the following two half modules in Law and then choose from a range of optional modules from either our Humanities departments or the Law School.

• Contract Law: On this module, you will learn to understand and explain the fundamental principles of contract law, one of the building blocks of the common law and which underlies commercial and consumer law. Using primarily a case-law approach, you will have opportunities to study the relationship between case law and statute and to tackle specific problem-solving tasks that will help you develop both your theoretical knowledge, including your understanding of the social context and function of the courts, and your legal writing skills.
• Property Law: On this module, you will focus on the role of law in relation to the ownership, use and development of land. Starting with the basic principles of English land law, you will learn to apply these to hypothetical cases, and analyse, evaluate and critique individual cases and statutory provisions using a series of linked materials on a discrete topic. Working both independently and collaboratively, you will also acquire research skills and be able to speak and write about property law accurately and using appropriate terminology.

If you are thinking of becoming a barrister or seeking qualification as a lawyer in other jurisdictions, which recognise the Warwick law degree, you will be advised to take the Foundations of EU Law module (subject to Bar Standards Board requirements).

Year Three

In your final year you will be required to complete the Supervised Project either as a half or full module. You will also select from the range of optional modules available in the Law School and Humanities departments. If you are thinking of becoming a barrister or seeking qualification as a lawyer in other jurisdictions, which recognise the Warwick law degree, you will be advised to take Law of Trusts (subject to Bar Standards Board requirements). Otherwise, you may choose from the optional modules available.

• Supervised Project: The supervised project allows you to undertake independent study to complete one of a range of outputs, building on skills you will have acquired through your degree. These may include a researched dissertation; reasoned policy briefing; a judgment from a critical perspective (e.g., feminist); or a piece of creative work about the law. The module aims to provide you with a high degree of responsibility for the learning process and will require you to manage your own learning, reflect on it critically, and seek and use constructive feedback. There is no set syllabus given that each project is individual to the student. However, general skills-based workshops will be provided to introduce you to research methods, research ethics, writing skills and project management to enable you to commence independent project work early in the term. Small group supervision meetings will be focused on substantive issues and on improving quality of the work. The length of the Supervised Project is either 6000 words (half module - 15CATS) or 12,000 words (full module - 30 CATS).

Optional Modules

A requirement of this degree is that at least 90 CATS of modules must be taken from departments (other than Law) in the Faculty of Arts over the course of your degree. CATS = Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme. An extensive range of modules is available to students on this degree. It is possible to choose external modules from more than one department in the Faculty of Arts, depending on your individual academic interests. See which modules are currently running in the Law School.

The modules due to run next year may vary from the list above, depending on staff availability, research priorities, and student uptake. While we do our best to run as wide a variety of subjects as possible, it is not always possible to offer every module.

External Modules

You are permitted to study a total of 30CATS worth of external modules outside of the Law School or Humanities departments over your second and third year of study. These modules must be honours level and agreed by the external department. If you opt to take a language course as an external option in your final year, this cannot be a beginners course unless it is beginners accelerated.

Scheme of Study

Three years full-time study leading to the degree of BA (Honours) or BA (Pass).