Law with American Legal Studies - LLB (Hons)

The module aims to provide you with an understanding of the legal principles and rules involved in land law and an introduction to property transactions (also known as conveyancing). You will consider how they operate in the wider social and economic context and the legal ethics of property transactions. 

The module builds on the transferable skills that you developed in Professional Skills  and Critical Thinking at Level 4 by developing the skills acquired .The module also provides foundational knowledge to support your study in the optional module  Advanced Property.

The module aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the fundamental concepts and principles of criminal law together with some of the criminal offences against the person and against property and some general defences.

The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems and Criminal Justice Process at Level 4.It also provides foundational knowledge to support subsequent Level 5 and 6 Criminal Justice pathway options by the introduction of concepts, processes and ideology.

The module aims to providing you with an opportunity to develop certain transferable skills, principally oral skills, but also written skills and professional ethics. Workshops will take place in dedicated courtroom space to foster a professional approach.

The module builds on what you have already learned in Foundations in Professional Skills at Level 4 by developing your confidence further through the practice of oral and written skills, and by recognition of the need for resilience and emotional intelligence. The module also acts as a preparation for clinical placement modules studied later at Levels 5 and 6 by equipping you with oral, written and ethical awareness.

Building on the knowledge of British political and legal institutions that you acquired in Legal Systems at Level 4, this module will allow you to explore the UK constitutional framework in greater depth, and key constitutional principles that underpin British democracy.

You will develop a critical understanding of those UK constitutional institutions and you will also conduct research into the impact of Brexit on the sovereignty of the UK Parliament and Constitution. Judicial and non-court based mechanisms of control of governmental action, such as judicial review and Parliamentary Ombudsman, will be considered and you will critically assess the case-law that forms the basis of the unwritten British constitution.

The module will provide you with a comprehensive overview of key legal principles which determine and oversee business structures carrying out economic activities. In addition to addressing the available legal channels for conducting business, the module will also focus on the formation, management and decision-making procedures in private limited companies.

This module builds on knowledge acquired in the Contract Law module at level 4 and in particular, your prior knowledge of the formation of contracts will be relevant to further discussions on commercial arrangements where business organisations are contractual parties.

The module aims to analyse how the US Constitution allocates powers between the federal government and the fifty states and explores the way in which the exercise of these powers is mediated by the Supreme Court. Studying this module will enable you to develop a critical understanding of the role of the Supreme Court as the final guardian of the Constitution.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree.    The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.  Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. 

The module aims to introduce the concept of equity and how it interacts with the law to create the trust by building on what you have learned in Contract Law and Land Law at Levels 4 and 5 about equitable remedies and property ownership.

This module will develop your ability to undertake independent research while critically analysing the way in which the law applies to real life scenarios. It will do this by incorporating a rich, diverse and inclusive learning environment which draws upon the knowledge which you have already gained and challenging your understanding through group work and interactive materials taking a student-led approach.

The module aims to familiarise you with the Law of the European Union, combining the study of theoretical and practical elements and the procedural and substantive foundations. The module examines and evaluates the structural organisation of the EU and the way its legal processes operate. This module contextualises the rules that derive from Europe within the legal institutional framework and also the way in which those rules affect business and wider society.

The module builds on what you have learned in Legal Systems at Level 4 and Constitutional & Administrative Law at Level 5 as it relates to the relationship between the structure of the EU and the English legal system, taking into account the UK’s status as a Third Party Country under EU Law.

This module aims to explore how the US Constitution protects the rights of the individual citizen against both the federal government and several States. It also considers the way in which these rights are mediated by the Supreme Court. You will develop a critical understanding of the role of the Supreme Court as the final guardian of the Constitution and the place of rights-based discourse in American political life.

It will also be relevant to those studying human rights modules across the course. The module provides an opportunity to study how America engages with human rights in the context of international law and foreign relations through the United Nations’ international human rights mechanism, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This module is directly related to the Centre of Human Rights’ “UPR Project at BCU.”

This module provides fundamental knowledge and transferrable skills used in the United Nations Law and Practice module. If you have studied other modules on the American Legal Studies pathway, it will further develop your autonomous understanding of US legal systems and research.

American Legal Practice (ALP) is an optional module. To be eligible for this module you must average a 2:1 across Level 4 and Level 5.

ALP prepares and facilitates you to apply for an internship in law a legal organisation in the United States (US), developing your legal systems knowledge and legal practice skill-set, and supporting you to create a high quality CV and Cover Letter as part of your career planning. 

*Students wishing to study this module are subject to academic requirements specified by the Module Team

The module aims to provide you with an intellectually stimulating and academically rigorous education in the preparation and successful completion of a dissertation. The module will explore some of the key aspects involved in the preparation of an American Legal Studies (ALS) dissertation which will be approached through a critical examination of the current law relevant to the chosen topic and through an emphasis on how the subject of the dissertation operates in context.