Law

European Union Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with the European Union (EU) and its foundations. You’ll dig into key areas of law, central to the EU system. And you’ll explore the political and social implications of EU Law. 

You’ll examine the history of EU Law, and its key institutions:

• the European Parliament
• the Council of the European Union
• the European Commission. 

You’ll then focus on Union Law, and how it relates to national law. You’ll also consider the role of the Court of Justice of the EU. You’ll explore substantive law, as you understand the internal market of the EU, including:

• free movement of people
• citizenship 

Land Law

Land law is a fascinating attempt to solve people’s conflicting interests in land. You’ll get to grips with the English Land Law and its key concerns. You’ll explore:

• the nature of law, property and land
• the division of estates and interests (into legal and equitable)
• land registration.

You’ll gain a detailed knowledge of freehold and leasehold estates. And you’ll explore co-ownership and trusts of: 

• land leases
• licences
• mortgages

You’ll also consider the rising importance of the Human Rights Act 1998 to Land Law. 

Tort Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with tort law (law which deals with civil loss or harm). You’ll explore:

• the tort of negligence 
• employers’ liability
• trespass to land
• public nuisance
• the Rylands-v-Fletcher case
• trespass to the person
• defamation
• privacy
• vicarious liability (when you’re liable for acts you didn’t commit)

You’ll also investigate the rising importance of human rights law. 

Advanced Legal Skills

In this module you’ll  gain the skills you need to do research at higher levels. This means you’ll get to grips with the legal databases which practitioners, and research academics, use. You’ll learn how to access:

•  journals
•  books
•  government report
•  legal papers

online through designated search engines. You’ll also learn how to research and complete complex legal tasks such as:

• drafting a costings for a personal damage claim using the latest legal databases
• producing a research paper (‘mini-Dissertation’) on a contemporary area of legal study.

In this module you’ll gain a thorough introduction to legal research, giving you the ideal skills to succeed in your dissertation and degree. 

Company Law/ Business Associations

In this module, you’ll trace a company from its birth to its death. You’ll get to grips with company law, and explore a company’s:

• creation
• agents
• growth
• maintenance
• dissolution. 

You’ll learn how company law works in our current economy. And how it influences other business models, such as:

• partnerships
• firms
• Community Interest Organisations.

You’ll enhance your critical skills as you analyse company law, and find solutions for issues faced by companies and business partners. And you’ll test how UK, EU and US laws work on corporate behaviour. 
 

Evidence

In this module, you’ll explore the key rules of evidence. You’ll examine:

• corroboration
• identification evidence
• hearsay
• confessions
• the right to silence
• improperly obtained evidence
• similar fact evidence
• evidence of character
• expert opinion evidence
• the examination and cross-examination of witnesses. 

You’ll gain critical skills for your career, as you analyse the ideas behind these rules. You’ll consider how to resolve any conflicts in them. You’ll also explore rules of evidence in criminal trials, and how they work to prevent miscarriages of justice.
 

Employment Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with employment law. You’ll look at the difference between a self-employed person and an employee. You’ll analyse:

• the contract of employment
• terms of employment
• the flexibility of the relationship between employer and employee

You’ll then explore a wide range of employment rights, including: 

• protection against unfair dismissal
• redundancy rights
• discrimination protections.

Environmental Law

How do societies react to environmental crises? How do we address environmental problems in the law? In this module, you’ll look at the relevant regulations and laws around the environment. You’ll look beyond legal cases, and consider the historical, political, ethical and technological issues of law and the environment. You’ll examine:

• anthropocentrism vs ecocentrism
• environmental rights and environmental justice
• ecology and conservation
• climate change and risk
• the ethics of environmental law.

You’ll develop key critical skills as you consider the fascinating interaction between the law, society and one of the biggest issues facing humanity - the environment.

International Law

In this module, you’ll explore the key laws of the international community. You’ll examine the origins and basis of international law. You’ll also look at the sources of international law, including treaties and customary norms. You’ll enhance your critical skills as you analyse the relationship between:

• international and municipal law
• subjects of international law
• the concept of territory or jurisdiction.

You’ll consider the core principles in the use of force, and the way armies behave. And you’ll look at the law of state responsibility, individual accountability and violations of international rules.
 

Marriage, Cohabitation and the Law

How does the law regulate relationships between adults? What legal rights flow from married and unmarried relationships? In this module, you’ll get to grips with the law regulating all types of adult family relationships, particularly:

• the law of marriage
• civil partnerships
• cohabitating couples
• divorce
• division of property on family breakdown
• domestic violence
• parental responsibility for children

You’ll gain vital skills in legal reasoning as you learn legal analysis techniques, and how to answer problem questions. 

Stowe Family Law are offering work experience at their Oxford office, as part of the ‘Stowe Family Law Prize’, to the highest scoring second year student who completes this optional module.

Understanding Criminal Justice

In this module, you’ll dive into the criminal justice system, and the main issues of criminal justice. You’ll understand  wider aspects of the criminal justice system and engage critically with the system’s flaws and shortcomings. You’ll gain key critical skills as you explore how well the system achieves its aims. You’ll explore specific areas such as:

• punishment
• sentencing
• crime prevention
• community safety
• policing
• youth crime
• prisons
• the criminal court system

You’ll observe the criminal justice system, first hand. You’ll then devise a social-science experiment to test your understanding of the system you’ve studied. This means you’ll devise a hypothesis on how the criminal justice system operates, and test to see if your hypothesis was right. You’ll conduct work in prisons, police stations and the streets of Oxford, allowing you to access the real world of the criminal justice system. 
 

Equity and Trusts

In this module, you’ll explore Equity (fairness in the law). You’ll also investigate trusts, which exist to regulate situations where someone cares for another person’s affairs. 

You’ll engage with Equity, and equitable remedies. You’ll also dive into trusts in all their forms. You’ll gain key critical skills as you analyse private trusts, and how they generate equitable interests. You’ll then consider the key features of charitable trusts. You’ll explore:

• the administration of trusts
• the powers and duties of trustees
• breach of trust 
• the law of tracing  

Children, Parents and the State

How does the law deal with child abduction, and disputes over children? How can the state protect children who may be victims of abuse within their own families? In this module, you’ll get to grips with law relating to parents, children and the state. You’ll dive into law reports, as you look critically at the legal concepts around:

• relationships between parents and children
• the relevance of the state to parents and children.

 You’ll consider:

• parental responsibility
• resolution of disputes over children
• child protection
• child abduction
• adoption

You’ll gain vital skills in legal reasoning as you learn legal analysis techniques, and how to answer problem questions. 
 

Commercial Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with commercial law (law relating to trade and sales). You’ll dive into key topics, including: 

• the nature and sources of commercial law 
• how we classify transactions 
• obligations of the buyer and seller
• the passing of ownership 
• the passing of property (risk)
• the condition of goods
• agency and remedies 
   

Computer Law and Artificial Intelligence

The internet rules society. In a vastly digital age, lawyers really need to understand technology and the legal challenges it presents. In this module, you’ll examine the legal issues of current internet technologies and hardware. You’ll gain key technical knowledge, as you evaluate the regulatory systems of these technologies, and how they affect society. You’ll explore how digital technologies challenge copyright law. And you’ll be introduced to some of the legal issues relating to the use of artificial intelligence. 

Crime and Society

In this module, you’ll explore the ways we define and measure crime. You’ll develop core critical skills as you explore theories about the causes of crime. And you’ll consider some major crimes in detail. You’ll dive into the following topics:

• crime and the media
• criminal behaviour 
• crimes in action - from violent crime to white-collar crime
• critical criminology: race and gender

You’ll think about crimes and criminality in a wider sense than simply ‘innocence’ or ‘guilt’. You’ll look at the social contexts of crimes, and what causes people to commit them. 
 

Dissertation

In this module, you’ll have the chance to do independent research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of our expert academics and legal practitioners, helping you carry out leading legal research on your chosen topic. You’ll gain key skills for a legal career, as you collect data and express the knowledge you’ve gained throughout your degree. Whether you’re researching hate crimes, the effect of Brexit on the economy or laws around sexual consent, you’ll prove that you can propose solutions for relevant problems, and effectively communicate the results.

Equality Law

How do we prevent discrimination against race and sexual orientation in the law? In this module, you’ll focus on the Equality Act 2010, and other legislation on:

• sex
• race
• sexual orientation
• religion
• disability discrimination
• equal pay. 

You’ll explore how courts interpret the Equality Act, and how it impacts the workplace. You’ll look at how it interacts with the law of the European Commission (EC), and how we might extend equality law. You’ll gain valuable critical skills for your career, as you ask:

• what difference the Equality Act has made
• who benefits (and does not benefit) from the act
• what we can do in the future to improve protection 

Independent Study Module

In this module, you'll work with a research-active tutor who will guide you through an in-depth analysis of their research area. You'll undertake your own independent study in this area, researching complex legal subjects. You'll get to grips with conducting your own high-level legal research, and you’ll pursue specialised topics which interest you.

International Human Rights Law

How can we effectively protect human rights? In this module, you’ll get to grips with international human rights law. You’ll gain key critical skills as you analyse arguments and ideas about human rights, and the ideas behind them. You’ll also consider their current legal and political meaning through examining: 

• relevant laws
• current debates
• case studies 
   

International Trade Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with international trade law, and its key elements. You’ll understand international sales transactions. You’ll gain valuable key critical skills as you analyse the key treaties of international law, such as:

• the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
• the World Trade Organisation 
• international commercial terms
• specific trade laws
• case histories
• dispute settlement procedures.

You’ll also explore:

• international rights in international trade
• the relationship between domestic law and international rules
• international trade agreements

You’ll discover how these rules can (or can’t) resolve certain problems in international trade. And you’ll develop the ability to advise on international trade practices, and other rights and obligations. 

Law in Action

In this module, you’ll gain core practical experience in law, as you apply your knowledge and skills to a practical legal activity. You’ll gain fantastic skills for work and boost your legal career, as you do a placement in an environment related to legal work. You’ll understand how to transfer your law studies from an academic discipline, to practicing it in the real world.

Medical Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with the structure of the NHS. You’ll explore topics such as:

• access to health care
• autonomy and consent
• responsibility
• accountability and negligence
• birth and its regulation
• death, dying and the incurably ill patient.

Nationality, Immigration and Asylum

In this module, you’ll get to grips with nationality and immigration law, and what it reveals about British society. You’ll examine the key issues and policies around nationality, national identity and migration. You’ll gain a firm understanding of migration in the UK and abroad, as you debate critical issues of today. You’ll also consider current UK law, and the historical, social and political factors that have shaped it.

Work placements

You may have the opportunity to undertake a work placement through our Law in Action module. This involves participating in a placement equivalent of approximately 28 days’ work experience. This may operate as a block of six consecutive weeks, or as one day per week depending upon the requirements of the placement organisation. This placement module is designed to enhance your practical legal knowledge and wider transferable skills. The work placements are facilitated by the university; however students are responsible for their own travel and associated costs. Most travel costs are minimal as placements are organised to be within easy reach of the campus or in local Oxford. Placements in the surrounding area, such as Witney or Abingdon, will require bus travel which can amount to between £3-8 for a return ticket. Acceptance onto the Law in Action module is competitive and only a limited number of places are available, all subject to the availability of external placements.