European Legal Studies - LLB (Hons)

with Italian

Course structure

Duration: 4 years full-time

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. 

Please note that the first-year modules listed for this degree are compulsory. Contact us for more detail about the exact composition of this programme of study.

• Year abroad

Teaching and assessment

Kent Law School emphasises research-led teaching which means that the modules taught are at the leading edge of new legal and policy developments. You are taught by as many of our leading researchers as possible. We also have one of the best student-to-staff ratios in the country, which allows small, weekly seminar-group teaching in all of our core modules, where you are actively encouraged to take part.

Most modules are assessed by end-of-year examinations and continuous assessment, the ratio varying from module to module, with Kent encouraging and supporting the development of research and written skills. Some modules include an optional research-based dissertation that counts for 45% or, in some cases, 100% of the final mark. 

Assessment can also incorporate assessment through oral presentation and argument, often in the style of legal practice (such as mooting), and client-based work and reflection through our Law Clinic.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to

• Attract and meet the needs of those contemplating a career in the legal professions, of those motivated primarily by an intellectual interest in law and legal issues and, of those with the desire to understand the workings of another jurisdiction whilst pursuing courses with a European, International or Comparative dimension.
• Attract and meet the needs of those seeking to combine their intellectual or professional interest in law with linguistic proficiency in a language other than English (hereafter referred to as a ‘foreign language’).
• Contribute to widening participation in higher education by offering a wide variety of entry routes.
• Provide students with a sound grounding in English law, the opportunity to acquire an understanding of other legal systems, and the opportunity to study, in another jurisdiction, topics with a European, international or comparative element.
• Encourage the development of an awareness for European-wide issues, an interest in European culture and the study of a relevant European language.
• Provide a sound knowledge and systematic understanding of the principal institutions and procedures of the English legal system.
• Provide a grounding in the major concepts and principles of English law and the law of the European Union.
• Develop a critical awareness of law in its comparative, historical, socio-economic and political contexts, and to introduce students to a range of different theoretical approaches to the study of law.
• Offer a range of modules covering the foundations of legal knowledge.
• Offer a range of options to enable students to study some selected areas of areas of law in depth.
• Offer students the opportunity to study a foreign language in depth and develop their foreign language skills both at a conversational level and at specialist level (foreign legal terminology) both while studying in Canterbury and during their year of study abroad.
• Offer students an in-depth experience of studying Law at a European partner-university with a view to complementing and/or enhancing their study of law at Kent Law School.
• Offer students the opportunity to live and study abroad with the object of promoting European integration.
• Provide teaching which is informed by current research and scholarship and which requires students to engage with aspects of work at the frontiers of knowledge.
• Offer the opportunity to acquire direct experience of legal practice and to critically reflect on it through participation in the Kent Law Clinic.
• Enable students to manage their own learning and to carry out independent research, including research into areas of law they have not previously studied.
• Develop general critical, analytical, functional, comparative and problem-solving skills which can be applied in a wide range of different legal and non-legal settings. Provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication, research and other key skills appropriate for graduate employment both in the legal professions and other fields.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• The principal features of the English legal system, including its institutions, procedures and sources of law
• The concepts, principles and rules of a substantial range of English legal subjects, including an in-depth knowledge of some areas of law and, depending on options, an in-depth knowledge of the law of the European Union, the ECHR, International law and Comparative law
• The concepts, principles and rules of Public Law, the Law of Obligations and several specialised areas of law as studied in a Law faculty of a European partner-institution
• The relationship between law and the historical, linguistic, socio-economic and political contexts in which it operates
• A range of theoretical, comparative and critical perspectives which can be applied to the study of law

Intellectual skills

You gain the intellectual abilities to:

• Effectively apply knowledge to analyse complex issues
• Recognise and rank items and issues in terms of their relevance and importance
• Collect and synthesise information from a variety of English, European and International sources
• Formulate and sustain a complex argument supporting it with appropriate evidence
• Recognise potential alternative solutions to particular problems and make a reasoned choice between them
• Independently acquire knowledge and understanding in areas, both legal and non-legal, not previously studied
• Demonstrate an independence of mind and an ability to critically challenge received understandings and conclusions
• Reflect constructively on their learning processes
• Effectively apply knowledge to analyse complex issues using your chosen foreign language.
  
• Collect and synthesise information from a variety sources written in that language.
• Formulate and sustain a complex argument using the foreign language.

Subject-specific skills

On successful completion of the programme students will be able to:

• Recognise the legal issues arising in a factual situation of limited complexity in English, European, Comparative and International law
• Identify and apply the case and statute law relevant to it
• Provide an informed and reasoned opinion on the possible legal actions arising from it, and their likelihood of success
• Identify the legal and related issues which require to be researched
• Effectively locate and use primary and secondary legal and other relevant sources
• Conduct independent legal research using a range of resources, both paper and electronic
• Critically evaluate an area of law both doctrinally and in terms of its socio-economic and other consequences
• Function in both English law as well as have an understanding of European, Comparative and/or International law depending on module selection.
  
• Function effectively in their chosen foreign language.

Transferable skills

Communication and literacy

On successful completion of the programme students will be able to:

• Use the English Language, both orally and in writing in relation to legal matters and generally, with care, accuracy and effectiveness. LB2.4(xi)
• Engage constructively and effectively in arguments and discussions of complex matters in English law and European, International and Comparative law. LB2.4(xi)
• Give a clear and coherent presentation on a topic using appropriate supporting materials.
• Read complex legal and non-legal materials and summarise them accurately.
• Employ correct legal terminology and correct methods of citation and referencing for legal and other academic materials.
• Produce work in appropriate formats.
• Use with care, accuracy and effectiveness, both orally and in writing, their chosen foreign language in relation to legal matters and generally.
  
• Engage constructively and effectively in arguments and discussions of complex matters in their chosen foreign European language.
• Give a clear and coherent presentation in their chosen foreign European language. Read complex legal and non-legal materials written in their chosen foreign European language and summarise them accurately.

Teamwork, numeracy and IT

On successful completion of the programme students will be able to:

• Work collaboratively in groups to achieve defined tasks, to respond to different points of view and to negotiate outcomes. LB2.4(ii) 
• Word-process their work and use a range of electronic databases and other information sources.

Careers

Graduate destinations

The University has an excellent employment record, with Kent Law School graduates commanding some of the highest starting salaries in the UK. Law graduates can go into a variety of careers, including:

• solicitor or barrister in a private practice
• company lawyer
• legal work within government
• legal work within the charity and NGO sector
• non-legal careers, such as banking, finance and management.

Help finding a job

Kent Law School has an active careers programme – leading law firms and prominent members of the legal profession visit the University to meet our students. We also work with employers to create work placement opportunities for our students.

The Law School's dedicated Employability and Careers Development Officer can give you advice on how to:

• apply for jobs
• write a good CV
• perform well in interviews.

You also have access to the University's friendly Careers and Employability Service.

Work experience

Our award-winning Kent Law Clinic gives local people access to free legal advice and representation. As a student, this gives you the chance to work on real cases under the guidance of qualified lawyers. You take on clients and sometimes have the chance to act as the client’s advocate in court or at a legal tribunal.

Career-enhancing skills

Our approach to law helps you to develop:

• a detailed knowledge of the law
• sophisticated legal research and writing skills
• practical skills in mediation, negotiation and interviewing clients.

You gain intellectual, analytical and practical skills that are vital to lawyers but also useful in many other professions. These include the ability to:

• think critically
• communicate your ideas and opinions
• manage your time effectively
• work independently or as part of a team.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Professional recognition

Our degree programmes contain the foundations of legal knowledge required by the Bar Standards Board to satisfy the academic component of professional training for intending barristers. They also provide a strong foundation for students who wish to take the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE).

Our critical approach to law and legal practice enables students to develop creative intellectual and transferable skills which prepare them for contemporary legal practice – in the UK and worldwide, and for successful careers in many fields.