The law of England and Wales: an introduction

Aims of the course

• To help those who have decided to commit themselves to a degree in law in this country.
• To enlighten non-lawyers who need to know how the law works (journalists, social workers, etc.).
• Anyone interested in how legal systems hold societies together.

Target audience

This course is open to anyone with an interest in the field: potential law students, anyone interested in the law, and people with an interest in how politicians have to engage with legal constraints.

Welcome week (Week 0)

Purpose:

• personal introductions
• introducing the course
• useful reading
• personal objectives

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the students should have: 

• become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
• test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
• learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies

Teaching week 1: How law cements society

Purpose:

To enlighten non-lawyers and those who have just embarked on a law course how the rule of law arose in medieval Britain to restrain the powers of the ruler in respect of the citizen. How private law was essential for the maintenance of justice between citizens, so that a wrong perpetrated by one citizen against another is compensated/punished, depending on whether it is civil or criminal.

Learning outcomes:

• a thorough understanding about why and how the rule of law underlies the maintenance of a civil and peaceful society
• the different types of law: legislation, common law and equity

Teaching week 2: Criminal Law vs Civil Law

Learning outcomes:

• an understanding about the divide between a civil wrong, which usually leads to an award of compensation to the victim from the wrongdoer, and a criminal act, which does not necessarily result in a monetary award but some sort of punishment for the wrongdoer
• why this difference is so important: the distinction between negligence and intention to do harm

Teaching week 3: Tools and resources

Purpose:

The use of materials in law is quite different from other disciplines. This unit is designed to teach students how to handle legal materials, rather than passing exams.

Learning outcomes:

• an appreciation of the importance of primary sources
• understanding why it is so important to find a relevant precedent in the law reports
• to appreciate the significance of being able to read statutes and judicial decisions, over second-hand textbook analyses
• understanding the structure of a law report and statute books

Teaching week 4: Who's to judge?

Purpose:

To explain the structure of the English court system and the dual professions of barristers and solicitors.

Learning outcomes:

• an understanding of the doctrine of precedent
• the practical difference between levels of court: the High Court, the Crown Court, the Court of Appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeal, Magistrates’ Courts, County Courts, etc.
• an appreciation of the rulings of the various International Courts and their effect on domestic law

Teaching week 5: Civil rights and wrongs

Purpose:

To acquaint participants with the range of civil actions available to the individual: breach of contract, tort, breach of trust. Civil rights enjoyed by the individual against the state enforceable by judicial review. The post-Brexit future of European Union law (Brussels) and the rights set out in the European Convention of Human Rights (Strasbourg).

Learning outcomes:

• understanding of the difference between actions between citizens (“private law”) and actions against the state (“public law”)
• an appreciation of why there is so much controversy about the proposed repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998 under the present government

Week 6: what next?

• assessment of student learning
• assessment of student satisfaction
• encouragement of further study

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.  

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences. 

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person. 

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material). 

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).

Fees 

The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes. 

Concessions 

For more information, please see our concessions information page. 

Alison Fordham Bursary

University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses. 

Application criteria:  

• applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
• applicants who can demonstrate financial need 

For more information, please see our bursaries information page. 

A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.