Undergraduate LLB (Hons)
International Legal Studies with a Year Abroad
Sharpen your powers of persuasion, broaden your horizons and prepare for a successful international legal career.
Sharpen your powers of persuasion, broaden your horizons and prepare for a successful international legal career.
We still have places available for this course. Apply online or call us now.
At Kent Law School our International Legal Studies programme gives valuable added depth and a global dimension to your degree, as well as offering an unforgettable experience in another country, without any requirement to learn another language. If you want to start a successful legal career in the UK and globally, our International Legal Studies programme is the first step to wherever you want to go.
You spend a year abroad between Stages 2 and 3 at one of our partner universities, where you are taught in English. Our current destination list includes Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, and many more.
Our research-led teaching encourages you to take a critical view of the law, engaging with the latest research undertaken by expert academics. Our diverse, international community of staff and students provides a dynamic and engaging environment to gain the professional legal skills and knowledge you need to change the world we live in.
This degree will help you prepare for a career in law as a solicitor or barrister. All of our undergraduate Law degrees contain the foundations of legal knowledge required by the Bar Standards Board to satisfy the academic component of professional training for intending barristers, and provide a strong foundation for students who wish to take the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE).
We offer a wide range of clinical, practical and experiential opportunities to build your CV and make yourself marketable in the world of work.
for student satisfaction in The Complete University Guide 2023.
Helping students to make career choices, understand the legal working world or to navigate the application process for both work and study.
You'll have the opportunity to study abroad with courses taught in English - A great way to discover new cultures and kickstart your global legal career.
A partnership between students, academics, solicitors and barristers providing free legal advice and representation to those unable to afford it.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.
At Kent, you’re more than your grades. We look at your circumstances and experience as a whole when we consider making an offer. As a guide, typical entry requirements for 2024 entry remain published on the UCAS website and where a course may prefer your qualifications to include specific subjects, these will be listed below.
Have questions? Call us now +44 (0)1227 768896 to discuss your application with our Clearing team. See our Clearing website for more details on how Clearing works at Kent.
The following modules are offered to our current students. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
The module will introduce students to critical legal techniques grounded in critical legal and social theory. Throughout the course, concepts are introduced through socio-legal and critical investigation of selected case studies - such as new pieces of legislation, emerging political campaigns and prominent litigation - ensuring that the course maintains a focus on 'law in action'. Particular attention will be paid to developments in foreign jurisdictions and in the international arena. Accordingly, case studies will alter from year to year, and draw heavily on research projects on-going in the Law School. The course has a heavy focus on primary legal materials and core critical texts, but will also draw on film, museum artefacts, art and literature as appropriate.
Section 1 Introduction to Obligations
a) The nature of the common law and its development.
b) The idea of precedent and legal reasoning.
c) The distinction between public law and private law.
d) The main divisions of obligations.
e) Drafting case notes
Section 2 Introduction to the law of contract
a) The historical development of contract law and its functions in the modern world.
b) A special area of study in contract e.g. formation and modification of contracts.
Section 3 Introduction to tort
a) The historical development of tort. An overview of different types of tort. The centrality of the tort of negligence and its role in the modern world.
b) A special study in tort – e.g. trespass to the person.
Section 4 Conclusion
A summary; critical approaches to the study of contract and tort; guidance to legal problem solving.
Following on from 'Introduction to Contract and Tort', 'Introduction to Property Law' continues the study of private law by introducing students to property law. 'Property' is something we tend to presume we know about, and rarely examine as an idea or practice closely. Most often we use it to connote an object or 'thing', and presume that it has something to do with ‘ownership’ of that object; we use expressions such as, 'This is mine,' and often do not examine the detail of what that really means.
This module begins to unpack and examine the ideas and practices of property more closely, looking in particular at land to ask questions such as: what do we mean by ‘ownership’? What happens when a number of competing ‘ownership claims’ in one object exist? What are the limits of 'ownership'? Does 'ownership' entail social obligation?
When preparing for the module it will be useful to think about (and collect material on) current debates over contested ownership (or use) of property and resources, especially in relation to land.
Part A: English Legal System
This module provides an overview of the English Legal System, including the following indicative topics:
1. An introduction to Parliament and the legislative process
2. The court structure and the doctrine of precedent
3. An introduction to case law, including how to identify and the importance of ratio decidendi and obiter dicta
Part B: Introduction to Legal Skills
The module also gives students an introduction to the basic legal skills that they will develop further in their other modules throughout the degree. The focus here is on specific exercises to support exploration and use of the library resources that are available, both in paper copy and electronically through the legal databases, and on understanding practices of legal citation.
As one of the Foundations of Legal Knowledge, these modules have a direct contribution to qualification as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales). The content of these modules is informed, therefore, by the requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board and each serves to provide students with substantive knowledge of English criminal law. The module therefore covers the following:
• Introduction to the concept of crime, the structure of criminal justice and the general principles of liability
• Harm and the boundaries of criminal law
• Considering cases – how to effectively summarise cases and write a case note
• Murder
• Defences to murder
• General defences
• Manslaughter
• Non-fatal offences against the person
• Sexual offences
• Inchoate offences
• Complicity
• Property-related offences
TERM 1
• Constitutionalism: history, theories, principles and contemporary significance
• Models of Government at national, local and supra-national levels
TERM 2
• Human Rights – history and contemporary significance and deployment
• The scope of governmental authority and its limits
• Judicial review and other forms of citizen redress
You take all compulsory modules in stage 2.
From commonplace, simple transactions, such as purchasing a bus ticket or a chocolate bar from a vending machine, to high-stakes commercial agreements, contracts govern countless interactions. You'll undertake a comprehensive study of the law of contract and its pervasive and essential role in our daily lives. You'll develop knowledge and understanding of the principles and theory of contract law and their application.
This module begins by introducing you to the law of contract, locating it within private law and looking at the historical development and its functions in the modern world. Thereafter, you'll explore the doctrine and problem-solving in contract law by considering the lifecycle of contracts, e.g., the formation of a contract, requirements for its enforceability, its terms and policing of bargaining behaviour, potential performance issues, its subsequent discharge, and remedies. You'll then focus on contract theory (e.g. freedom of contract and its limits), overlaying the doctrine studied with a basic theoretical framework and ground your understanding of contract law and contractual relationships.
What is property? What is the distinct character and effect of property rights compared to contractual and other personal rights? You'll be introduced to the nature of property generally, and then go on to focus on one particular form of property - ‘real’ property, or land, as distinguished from personal property. You'll examine the system of land registration in English law, and how this shapes the ability to enforce interests in land against others.
Various types of interests in land will be studied, to enable you to develop an in-depth understanding of English land law and an ability to apply your knowledge to legal problems relating to interests in land. You'll be encouraged to consider the politics of real property law and the impact of economic logics in this area of law. Exploring how property and land law shape relationships between people, you'll consider challenging subjects such as squatting, leases, and the financing of the family home.
What does it mean to say that someone is ‘negligent’? How do you know when liability for negligence arises? You'll explore in depth tort law’s most important tort: the tort of negligence, looking at its specific elements and legal concepts related to it. You'll develop proficiency in the use of case law-based arguments as a way of determining liability in tort. Through an in-depth focus on modern decided cases you will:
Become familiar with the idea that cases can be read in different ways;
Improve your legal argument skills;
Identify some contested boundaries of tort law.
You'll also consider the role played by statutes in tortious liability, including in defences to tort claims, and the liability of occupiers of land, manufacturers and/or publishers. You'll learn how tort protects interests in land and the person.
Explore the relationship between tort law and its social context to explain its shape and contemporary debates about its scope. By observing where the lines of liability are currently drawn, you'll consider what this reveals about private rights and obligations, the balance between responsibility for harm and freedom of action, and access to justice.
What is equity? Does equity still have a role in modern law? What is a trust? How have trusts changed to meet changing social and economic needs? Do equitable doctrines and remedies and trusts law protect the vulnerable or protect the powerful?
Equity is a distinctive legal tradition in common law systems, with its own concepts, techniques, doctrines and remedies. You'll learn about the historical emergence of ‘equity’ rooted in the concept of ‘conscience’ and examine the fate of equity in the English legal system and other common law jurisdictions. You'll discover developments in equitable remedies concerned with remedying unconscionable conduct and abuses of power in private transactions, and the social, political and economic contexts of these developments. Arguably equity’s most important contribution is the trust. You'll learn the anatomy of the trust, how to create valid trusts, the obligations that trustees are subject to, and how these have changed to meet the evolving needs and desires of property owners and markets. In considering these transformations, you'll develop your ability to understand and critically assess the role of equity and trusts in contemporary law and society and reflect on the nature of private law.
How much power does the EU really have over its member states? When national interests and EU law clash, who should ultimately have the final say? You'll be introduced to EU law, by examining its foundational principles, key doctrines, and the institutions that shape its operation. In exploring the core aspects of EU law, you will gain a deeper understanding of:
How the EU balances the interests of member states with individual rights.
The role of the customs union in facilitating trade within the EU.
The power of judicial interpretation in shaping EU law.
The principle of supremacy of EU law and its impact on national legal systems.
Through analysing these substantive areas, you'll develop essential skills in applying legal principles, presenting complex arguments effectively, and evaluating the broader social, economic, and legal implications of EU law.
Approximately 75 percent of the world’s legal systems do not belong to the common law tradition but to the civil law tradition, which means that they were shaped not by English law but by Roman law, either directly (e.g.: France, Germany, Spain) or through colonisation (e.g.: Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico). Students aiming to operate on the international scene in whatever capacity are bound to come into contact with the civil law tradition. This course introduces you to the very different ways in which civil law governments, judges, lawyers and law professors think about the law. The materials and coursework are designed for all students destined to spend time in a civil law jurisdiction, whether during a year abroad as part of your studies or in your future working life. It is also intended for students enrolling in the module out of an interest in foreign and/or comparative law.
This module seeks to provide a sound knowledge and understanding of the concepts and principles underlying the law relating to human rights, including a grounding in the historical development and political philosophy of human rights law; to provide a detailed grasp of the current protection of human rights in English law, with particular reference to the Human Rights Act 1998 and European Convention on Human Rights; and to promote a critical discussion about the nature, function and effects of human rights as they have been, are, ought to and/or might be expressed in English law.
This module seeks not only to familiarise students with the basic concepts and structure of modern company law, but also to provide them with a critical understanding of the nature and dynamics of modern capitalism and of the historical development of industrial organisation and the emergence of company law within it. In addition to a selection on modern company law, therefore, the module also traces the rise of the joint stock company in the nineteenth century and the emergence of company law in its wake. It moves on to trace the twentieth century rise of the modern multidivisional, multinational company and its impact on company law. In this context, it also considers the nature of the share and of shareholding, and the role of the Stock Market, and explores contemporary debates about corporate governance. Key aspects will include exploring the contractual relations between, on the one hand, the company and its agents and on the other hand, third parties who deal with the company, tracing the evolutionary changes from the Common Law to the modern predominantly statutory framework. It will also deal with aspects of corporate management and control, including directors' duties, shareholders’ rights and the increasingly important issues pertaining to market abuse and how the law seeks to deal with such practices. Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with current issues in the commercial world by reading the financial pages of the newspapers, as reference will frequently be made to current events to facilitate the learning process. The module will address a range of inter-related questions: How well suited is modern company law to the regulation of the large modern corporation? What do shareholders do? What does the Stock Market do? In whose interests are modern corporations run? In whose interest should they be run? How do companies contract and, what are the relationships between the organs of the company?
In the current context of globalization, postcolonialism and transnationalism, not to mention the Europeanization of laws, every law student in the UK will almost inevitably encounter foreign law in the course of his or her professional life. For one thing, the legislator shows itself more and more open to the influence of foreign legal ideas in the legislative process. Also, appellate judges increasingly refer to foreign law in the course of their opinions. Further, private parties often enter into legal arrangements, such as contracts or wills, presenting an international dimension. In sum, nowadays, foreign law is everywhere and cannot be circumvented.
This module intends to provide law students with the necessary intellectual equipment allowing them to approach any foreign law (not only European laws) in a meaningful way. In particular, the module will heighten students' sensitization to the specificity of foreign legal cultures and encourage them to reflect in depth upon the possibilities and limits of cross-border interaction in the law. Another feature of this module will be a critical introduction to hermeneutics, deconstruction and translation studies with specific reference being made to law as these lines of thought are most relevant for comparatists. Throughout the course, concrete examples will be developed from a range of different national laws.
The module seeks to provide an historical, legal and social understanding of the police, one of the key social and legal institutions of the modern state. The police are an integral part of the criminal justice system and as such, this module is a core element in a criminal justice programme.
Students on this module must become members of the Kent Law Clinic, and work on 'live' cases for clients of the Clinic under the supervision of solicitors, or other experienced legal practitioners working alongside them. (All Supervisors are members of the academic staff at Kent Law School.) Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of specific areas of English law and procedure, and some specific skills. Clinical work provides an excellent opportunity for active learning, and for studying the interface between theory and practice.
Students are encouraged to view their clinical work not just as a means of acquiring important legal skills but primarily as a means of developing a better understanding of law and legal practice and enhancing their critical analysis of law and of legal practice.
Students are expected to undertake, under supervision, legal work in one or more areas of law of relevance to the objects of the Clinic. Students will normally work on cases rather than projects. A Supervisor will decide whether a student has undertaken sufficient substantial work for the purposes of this module. Students are required to carry out this work to the professional standards expected of paralegal staff employed by solicitors.
In addition, students must carry out, also under supervision, the usual tasks associated with the conduct of legal casework as appropriate to the needs of the case such as case management, statement and précis drafting, legal research, interviewing, legal drafting, corresponding, negotiating, advocating; and orally (or in briefing notes) presenting, explaining and discussing cases and projects (especially with supervisors and in Clinic seminars and meetings).
Students will read and where relevant apply the Law Clinic's Case Management Guidelines. The purpose of these Guidelines is to facilitate the proper conduct of clients’ cases and of projects. Students will maintain a Student Folder, which will contain all drafts and research used by the student in respect of all casework or projects undertaken by that student. They will help to evidence the preparatory and research work undertaken by students.
Students on this module must become members of the Kent Law Clinic, and work on 'live' cases for clients of the Clinic under the supervision of solicitors, or other experienced legal practitioners working alongside them. (All Supervisors are members of the academic staff at Kent Law School.) Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of specific areas of English law and procedure, and some specific skills. Clinical work provides an excellent opportunity for active learning, and for studying the interface between theory and practice.
Students are encouraged to view their clinical work not just as a means of acquiring important legal skills but primarily as a means of developing a better understanding of law and legal practice and enhancing their critical analysis of law and of legal practice.
Students are expected to undertake, under supervision, legal work in one or more areas of law of relevance to the objects of the Clinic. Students will normally work on cases rather than projects. A Supervisor will decide whether a student has undertaken sufficient substantial work for the purposes of this module. Students are required to carry out this work to the professional standards expected of paralegal staff employed by solicitors.
In addition, students must carry out, also under supervision, the usual tasks associated with the conduct of legal casework as appropriate to the needs of the case such as case management, statement and précis drafting, legal research, interviewing, legal drafting, corresponding, negotiating, advocating; and orally (or in briefing notes) presenting, explaining and discussing cases and projects (especially with supervisors and in Clinic seminars and meetings).
Students will read and where relevant apply the Law Clinic's Case Management Guidelines. The purpose of these Guidelines is to facilitate the proper conduct of clients' cases and of projects. Students will maintain a Student Folder, which will contain all drafts and research used by the student in respect of all casework or projects undertaken by that student. They will help to evidence the preparatory and research work undertaken by students.
The course aims to provide students with abilities to develop an understanding of the following issues: (a) Foundational principles, justificatory arguments and theoretical frameworks of intellectual property law; (b) Key legislation and case law and the relationship of levels of law making in intellectual property law; (c) A basic understanding of UK intellectual property law (copyright, breach of confidence, trade marks and patents)
This module will focus on the leading topic areas of intellectual property law (including practical aspects), namely:
• Copyright
• Patents
• Trade marks
• Passing off
• Breach of confidence
The module is taken over one term. Students will attend a small number of lectures introducing the trajectory of a research project, the use of library resources, primary and secondary material, use of citations and constructing a bibliography etc. The main experience of the module is found in the supervision process between supervisor and student, who between themselves decide on the specific plan for the research programme.
This module investigates the relationship between law and social change, and explores the political, economic and social dynamics that affect this relationship over time. The module will consider questions such as:
• Why is the law a terrain of social struggle?
• How does the law respond and/or contribute to social change?
• How do the values or worldviews that the law incorporates affect the legal advancement of social change?
• How does the character of the law change in relation to different political, economic and social contexts?
• What are the obstacles and limitations to the law contributing to and creating social change? How is the context in which the law operates
important in this analysis?
• How can we engage with the law to pursue change towards social justice?
The first part of the module examines the relationship between law and social change as addressed by key classical and contemporary social theorists. This exploration is then extended with an analysis of how and to what extent social movements can affect legal reform and eventually contribute to social change. The second part of the module investigates a number of concepts and areas in relation to which the approaches and ideas explored in the previous part can be applied, questioned, reframed or expanded. These concepts and areas are morality, democracy, globalisation, rights and citizenship, and the role of legal professions in social change.
So much of law is about text and the manipulation of language: Becoming sensitive to the construction of narratives in judgements, learning to read argument in its many forms, recognising the ways in which words, and patterns of words, can be used to create effect, playing with ambiguities or seeking to express an idea with clarity, all these are fundamental skills for a lawyer. Law is also about performance, the roles which are assigned to us and the drama of the court room. And law, as text and performance, carries fundamental cultural messages about the society we live in and the values we aspire to. During this module, we will examine some of the many ways in which reading, viewing and listening to, 'the arts' helps us to think more concisely as well as more imaginatively about law. We welcome on to the module anyone who shares, with us, an enjoyment of reading, viewing and listening – this is a chance for students to be introduced to material they may not be familiar with as well as a chance to pursue an interest they may already have. Although the module is designed primarily for law students, it is also open to undergraduates from other degree programmes.
The module focuses on a small number of key texts through which to explore the themes and develop student skills. These vary from year to year.
The module will be divided into three main sections. The first section will involve an examination of the banker-customer relationship, including the rights and obligations of the parties in that relationship, the use of different methods of payments and remedies. The second section will focus on the provision of credit by banks to customers. This section will look at the types of credit facilities provided by banks, the taking of security by banks and the enforcement of such security. The final section will focus on money laundering regulation within the banking industry.
This module considers how criminal law makes use of science. Forensic evidence is a rapidly developing area in criminal trials – new techniques are continually being developed and forensic evidence such as DNA profiling is increasingly presented as evidence. This rapid expansion has resulted in forensic evidence becoming increasingly debated in the media and by the criminal justice process – from articles hailing DNA profiling as preventing or undoing miscarriages of justice to those questioning a lay jury's ability to make a judgement in cases involving highly complex scientific or medical evidence.
The module will be broken down into 4 parts:
1. Initially, analysis of the historical development of the use of forensic evidence will be made along with explanation of both what constitutes
forensic evidence and the basic scientific techniques involved.
2. Consideration of the way in which forensic science has developed as a useful tool within the criminal justice process
3. Analysis of the difficulties of placing emphasis on forensic science within the trial system – cases in which forensic science has resulted in
subsequently questioned decisions.
4. Current issues surrounding the use of forensic science: This section of the course will be devoted to considering the questions which arise
out of the use of forensic evidence such as:
• Who should decide whether a new scientific technique should be admissible evidence,
• Who are the experts who present the evidence to juries
• To what extent does the admission of forensic evidence assists juries.
The overall objective of the module is to provide an exposition of Environmental Law which seeks to assess the functioning of the law alongside the environmental problems that it seeks to address. Many of these problems admit scientific, economic and administrative responses as readily as legal ones. However, the underlying premise is that, alongside other disciplines, law has an essential part to play in the protection of the environment. Within law, various strategies that may be applied to environmental problems have different strengths and weaknesses. In each case the options must be reviewed and it must be asked, which is the most appropriate legal approach to a particular kind of environmental problem?
To some extent this eclectic perspective spans traditional legal boundaries emphasising features which may be overlooked in customary treatments of subjects such as criminal law, tort, administrative law and European Union law, but it is a subject which has a distinctive identity determined by the specific problems that the law seeks to address. Environmental Law seeks to examine and assess laws, of widely different kinds, from a uniquely environmental perspective. Taking the broadest possible view, it must be asked what legal mechanism is best used to restrict emissions causing deterioration in the quality of the three environmental media of water, air and land and how the law can provide appropriate redress for environmental harm.
Environmental Law Theory and Practice I is broadly concerned with environmental quality law, particularly the different ways in which environmentally damaging activities are addressed through legal mechanisms. The interest in environmental quality and pollution control is not merely limited to contemporary issues but includes an interest in understanding how legal responses to these problems have developed over time since the Industrial Revolution, and consideration as to whether they are currently and will continue to be fit for purpose in rising to current challenges. The module opens with a discussion of how we might define and understand the character of environmental law, following this question through the historical development of contemporary environmental law across the public / private divide and across jurisdictions from the UK through the EU towards the influences of international agreements. This is undertaken through examination of how protection the three environmental media: water, land and air has developed since industrialisation. The module finishes with consideration of cross-cutting issues such as enforcement, and through revisiting the initial question as to how we might define and understand the character of environmental law with reference to current challenges such as climate change, and radically alternative proposals for visions of the future of environmental law.
90% of English legal cases involve a statute. For obvious reasons, it is crucial that students should know how to interpret and apply a statute. Through a series of fascinating examples drawn from the UK and elsewhere, this module teaches students these skills, which all employers highly value. Indeed, skills in the interpretation and application of law-texts are also very useful in a wide range of contexts, for example when students have to deal with judicial precedents or multilingual legislation.
Block 1. Critical introduction to major theories of morality: virtue theory (incl. feminist ethics of care), deontological theory (incl. natural law theory and Kantian theory) and consequentialism (utilitarianism).
Block 2. A historical/contextual examination of the development of a particular moral concept; that of individual rights
Block 3. Oral presentations by students in pairs
Block 4. An analytical examination and critique of modern theories of rights and their relationship to law
The module is taken over one term. Students will attend a small number of lectures, introducing the trajectory of a research project, the use of library resources, primary and secondary material, use of citations and constructing a bibliography etc. The main experience of the module is found in the supervision process between supervisor and student, who between themselves decide on the specific plan for the research programme.
The first half of the module will provide students with detailed knowledge and understanding of the idea of development, the international development project, the main international development institutions and the international context in which they developed; the national effects of the development project; and the movement of Law and Development. The second half of the module will examine contemporary topics in law and international development, including (but not limited to) human rights and development; decentralization and local development; sustainability and development; law and the informal sector; rule of law promotion; and the intersection between security and developmental concerns and discourses.
This course will afford students the opportunity to explore the moral and ethical questions surrounding legal practice in both a theoretical and a practical way. Starting with some philosophical arguments about whether and how lawyers might have specifically moral responsibilities, they will then be equipped to test such arguments in the context of case studies from real legal practice. This course will provide an intellectually demanding introduction to the academic study of legal ethics, which will push students to hone their skills of argumentation, analysis and critique.
Block 1. Why Legal Ethics? The course will start with an exploration of the moral reasoning and arguments that justify the notion of 'legal ethics'. This first block of seminars will introduce students to the theoretical questions which precede any acceptance of the practice of law as having a moral dimension.
Block 2. Case Studies and the Ethical Issues they raise. Starting with the case of the so-called 'torture lawyers' from the 'war on terror' of the American Bush administration, students will be asked to reflect on and discuss several case studies as starting points for discussion of issues in ‘legal ethics’ broadly conceived, including: responsibility for ‘doing wrong’, complicity, upholding human rights, conflicts of interest, integrity, the adversarial system as an excuse for moral neutrality or worse and confidentiality.
This module is concerned with contemporary labour law. It combines legal analysis and the transmission of practical legal skills with a highly contextual and interdisciplinary understanding of the labour law and regulatory debates around labour regulation. To that end, workshops will feature extended discussion on key aspects of contemporary labour legislation using scholarly texts. Students will also study key legal aspects of the modern employment relationship including the contract of employment, statutory employment protection provisions (for example unfair dismissal and redundancy protection), anti-discrimination legislation and provisions for reconciling work and family life (e.g. pregnancy protection and parental leave). The module will also explore selected aspects of collective labour law including the role and status of trade unions, the legal regulation of collective bargaining and/or the regulation of industrial conflict. The module seeks to combine a detailed knowledge of fundamental key aspects of labour law with the development of broader conceptual, critical and evaluative perspectives on workplace regulation. workplace regulation.
In recent times, 'alternative' forms of dispute resolution (ADR) have been widely recognised as possessing the potential to limit some of the damage caused by civil disputes. Therefore, a lawyer's skill-set ideally should include a well-developed ability to analyse, manage and resolve disputes both within and outside the usual setting of the courtroom. Thus, the module's primary aim is to introduce students to the legal and regulatory issues surrounding methods of dispute resolution aside from litigation. Specifically, the module focuses on the practical factors relevant to selecting appropriate dispute resolution in distinct circumstances, including, for example, the employment and family law arenas.
Students will be provided with the resources to acquire a detailed theoretical and practical understanding of the contextual constraints associated with the use of different forms of dispute resolution and will be encouraged to develop their ability to evaluate the effectiveness of particular interventions, especially when used as an adjunct to court proceedings. The module tracks historic and current developments in relation to the use of ADR, highlighting how government policy and courts appear, increasingly, to sanction failure to use ADR. This may well enhance students' opportunities to hone career-advancing expertise in the field.
Consumer law is a significant area of contemporary market regulation. This area of law raises practical questions about the everyday consumption of goods and services, theoretical issues about the role of government regulation and contrasting visions of markets. Furthermore, consumer law provides an opportunity to analyse different forms of regulation in contemporary societies such as legal rules, codes of practice, administrative regulation and attempts to harness market incentives. This module addresses the regulation of consumer markets. This module is aimed at students who wish to have an understanding of substantive law, policies and institutional framework concerning the regulation of consumer markets.
This module introduces the origins, evolution and impact of international economic law—that is, the regulation by (primarily) states and international organisations of international economic activity, such as the movement of goods, services, capital and people.
It takes a critical socio-legal approach to the field in the sense that it considers economic, social, political and cultural dimensions; and emphasises the existence of multiples perspectives, in particular of individuals and organisations; in the public, private, and third sectors; in relatively poor and relatively rich economic contexts; in times of calm and of crisis; and on local, national, regional and global levels.
This module examines the intersections between forms of legal regulation, conceptions of power and spatial configurations and plans. It traces elements of such intersections accessibly with the aid of insights from a variety of the most relevant fields (including legal geography, architectural history and theory, critical planning studies, urban design, spatial studies, anthropology, legal theory and philosophy). It interrogates the intersections in question both through a thorough introduction to all the contemporary relevant theories and practices of spatial power configuration and with a focused 5 week seminar preparation of a unit theme, each year, on a particular city or relevant event which informs the assessment set.
This module will focus on the way in which the law defines and constructs privacy, breach of confidence, cybersecurity threats, and e-surveillance in the UK, EU and elsewhere as appropriate (e.g. North America, Australia) and how the law regulates data protection, freedom of information, consent for digital and personal information collection, use and sharing, and e-surveillance. Students will be asked to critically examine whether privacy protection laws, consent, and confidentiality measures are fit for purpose and proportionate given demands of the market, the state, and public administrations to collect, use, and share personal information for reasons of commerce, service provision, and security protection. Students will be challenged to critically examine how personal, financial, health, and economic transactional data are managed, who has access to this information, and for what purposes. The module will require students to assess emerging legal, regulatory, data protection and personal privacy issues raised by widespread access to personal information, including data generated by social media, electronic commerce, state security agencies, and health administrations. The curriculum will explore rapidly changing privacy and data protection issues including the 'right to be forgotten', the Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity law in a post-Snowden world including Safe Harbours, data retention and reuse implications of the UK National DNA database, biobanks, and digital interconnectivity of social media.
The module will examine the role and function of international law in regulating relations between States and resolving international disputes. It will introduce students to a number of theoretical frameworks through which to understand and critically evaluate international law historically and in context. It will provide students with knowledge and understanding of the origins and development of international law and of its key concepts, principles and rules. The module will enable students to consider the relevance, or otherwise, of international law to contemporary international problems and to critically assess its limitations and effects. This will be achieved through a range of topics and case studies.
The module will examine the evolution, principles, institutions and functions of international human rights law in their political, social and economic contexts. It will provide students with detailed knowledge and understanding of the origins and development of human rights law through critical study and analysis of key theoretical perspectives and debates. The module will enable students to consider the relevance, or otherwise, of international human rights law to historical and/or contemporary challenges and to critically assess its limitations and effects.
This module will provide students with a strong grounding in the technical law relating to homelessness, as well as an understanding of some of the key policy debates which underlie this legal framework. The module opens with discussion of social understandings of home and homelessness, before moving to a detailed assessment of the current framework of England's homelessness law. It will examine statute and case law relating to the duties on local authorities to respond to homelessness, including the definition of homelessness; who is "eligible" for housing; the key concepts of priority need and the meaning of vulnerability; what happens when someone is considered to be “intentionally homeless”; and the impact of a connection to another local authority. The review of the contemporary legal structure closes with discussion of the procedure which homeless applicants will undergo and a review of the law and policy relating to allocation policies. The second part of the module places this legal structure in context by examining the history of homelessness provision and regulation; considering responses to homelessness in other jurisdictions and examining the regulation and perceptions of street homelessness.
This module engages with the matter of asylum and refugeehood in both a national and international context. The module offers a thorough introduction to the sources of asylum and refugee law (UK and international) and a critical consideration of the relevant jurisprudence. The module employs at times interdisciplinary material to aid understanding and reflection and engages with the historical and socio-cultural evolution of the government and regulation of asylum and refugee subjects. In addition, the module devotes time to key contemporary problems in asylum and refugee law and current developments and debates in the field.
The module will provide an introduction to immigration law in the United Kingdom. It covers key concepts; the development of the field of law viewed in historical and political context; questions of nationality and the system of immigration control and enforcement. It also considers the relationship between human rights and UK immigration controls. In particular, the course covers: The Immigration Debate in the UK: Are Immigration restrictions justified?; The Evolution of Immigration Law and Policy in Britain; the multiple sources of Immigration Law; The Immigration Acts and the Framework of Immigration Control including an appreciation of the Appeals Process and Judicial Review; The Immigration Rules; relevant aspects of EU Free Movement and Residence Rights including the consequences of Brexit; an outline of Labour Migration; Family Migration and Article 8 ECHR; Deportation Law and Foreign National Offenders; Long-term Residence Rights and "Illegal" Migration. Drawing on a range of contextual accounts, policy documents, case law and critical analysis of developments at the national, regional and to a more limited extent the international level, the module enables students to acquire both sound knowledge of the law and critical awareness of the biases, gaps and challenges in the current immigration system.
The overall objective of the module is to provide an exposition and appreciation of Sports Law, considering key elements of the legal and institutional framework. Sport in the UK (as elsewhere) is now subject to a very wide range set of systems of supervision involving the application of principles and institutional governance subject to a wide spectrum of legal sources, including public and private law, national and international law as well as sui generis dispute resolution systems such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Switzerland. The module will develop student learning by focusing on a range of legal topics and issues, which constitute integral key components of Sports Law.
The law of succession (also known as inheritance) is a core area of legal and socio-economic practice enabling, and sometimes mandating, the transfer of wealth from one generation to another. Common law jurisdictions, such as England, Australia and America, are often described as upholding the principle of 'freedom of testation'. This course provides a critical introduction to the law of succession, in particular the nature of wills, will formation, and the administration of estates; it will assess the problem of intestacy (dying without a will); it will critically evaluate the principle of ‘freedom of testation’ with regard the limitations placed on freedom of testation and through comparative analysis with other jurisdictions.
You have the opportunity to select elective modules in this stage.
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
You spend a year between Stages 2 and 3 at one of our partner universities, where you are taught in English. For your year abroad, our current destinations include:
These destinations may change and places are subject to availability.
You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stages 1 and 2 to proceed to the Year Abroad. If the requirement is not met, you will be transferred to the equivalent three-year programme. The Year Abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification.
The year abroad involves the delivery of taught content (and the assessment of that content) at a partner institution, which will enable students to achieve the intended specific and generic learning outcomes of this module. Students will take modules equivalent to a full-time load (e.g. a full-time year of academic study, or as otherwise defined by the host institution). The exact composition will be as agreed with the appropriate Course Director, or as set out in the learning agreement ('the agreed modules'). The curriculum will vary depending on the partner institution and the agreed modules, but will be relevant to the student’s course of study, and will contribute to achievement of the course’s educational aims and learning outcomes.
International humanitarian law is the body of law developed to regulate armed conflict. It was historically envisioned as a legal means of restricting the excesses of war between states. Over time, doctrinal developments have extended the law governing armed conflict to non-international armed conflicts and non-state actors and forms of accountability have arisen through the related field of international criminal law. This module is not restricted to a study of law alone; it places international humanitarian law in broader social, political and historical contexts, including its close relationship to the law concerning the use of force. Doctrinally, you will address select concepts, principles and rules governing the recourse to force as well as the conduct of hostilities in armed conflict. Thematically, you will consider topics such as:
The relationship between international law and international relations;
Problems of classifying and categorizing, such as the distinction between civilians and combatants and the distinction between international and non-international armed conflicts;
Challenges brought by new means and methods of warfare, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), the move toward developing lethal autonomous weapons systems (‘LAWS’) and the practice of ‘targeted killing’
Accountability for breaches of international humanitarian law.
How does property law respond to new forms and conceptions of property in contemporary society? What do those responses say about property as a legal institution, and the role of power? This module builds on Property Law to look at property in its many different forms. You will be encouraged to question the common-sense understanding of property as privately owned 'things’, which the law merely recognises and protects. You will explore the active, constructive and political role of law in constituting the relationships which make up property in particular historical, philosophical and/or cultural contexts. Each week, you will engage with case studies and theoretical readings from a wide range of topics, such as: claims of ownership of human bodies and bodily materials; the contribution of property law to racialisation and the formation of social identities; the role of property interests in both exacerbating and responding to climate change; and emerging categories of property, including data derived from social media use. By examining how property law responds to developments and innovations in contemporary society, this module will provide you with the critical thinking skills required for reflective and creative professional practice.
Your lecturers go on strike. Junior doctors stage a walkout. Do they have a legal right to do so? Why? You'll focus on the legal framework on collective bargaining and the right to strike. The Equality Act 2010 provides a legal framework that seeks to protect people from discrimination, including in the workplace. You'll consider how anti-discrimination legislation shapes the employment relationship. You will develop a detailed knowledge of key aspects of collective labour law and anti-discrimination legislation. Develop your capacity to integrate legal analysis and practical legal skills with a contextual and interdisciplinary understanding of human rights and equality regulation at work. You will examine freedom of association, a central feature of human rights and selected aspects of collective labour law such as the role and status of trade unions, the legal regulation of collective bargaining and the regulation of industrial conflict. You will study anti-discrimination legislation, particularly the Equality Act 2010, related to areas such as sex, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age, as well as provisions for reconciling work and family life, such as pregnancy protection and parental leave.
Experiencing the law in action is a unique learning opportunity. By engaging in live casework in the Clinic, you will develop a deep understanding of the law, acquire practical legal skills and learn to reflect on the law in its wider sociological and political context.
Experiencing the law in action is a unique learning opportunity. By engaging in live casework in the Clinic, you will develop a deep understanding of the law, acquire practical legal skills and learn to reflect on the law in its wider sociological and political context.
You will participate in real life legal work under the supervision of experienced legal practitioners to assist clients of Kent Law Clinic. Helping to solve problems that impact upon the everyday lives of people who live with disadvantage will enable you to develop a sense of professional responsibility and will provide you with a rewarding experience.
You'll develop a range of legal skills through actively participating in tasks such as interviewing clients and drafting legal documents whilst also learning important practical skills including time management and empathy towards clients.
You will be assessed on your ability to carry out casework tasks and independent legal research throughout the term. Using your distinct casework experience you will then critically reflect on the relationship between your client’s legal problem and broader socio-legal issues.
Your learning will be supported by a holistic combination of seminars, small group supervision, one to one meetings and feedback sessions. You will also benefit from peer support and become part of the vibrant Kent Law Clinic community.
To what extent should the validity of laws be judged by their ethical standing? Is there a threshold beyond which laws deemed immoral should be considered invalid? You will explore how the relationship between morality and law has been understood and theorised and how this relationship has been often conflictual. The methodology of this module will be historical and contextual as well as theoretical and analytical.
You will look at how jurisprudence has conceptualised the existential link between morality and law, with specific reference to the moral concept of individual rights, the main theories of morality developed in Western culture and history, the difference between natural and positive law, and the idea of “modern subjectivity”. You will then move onto focus on the conflicts between morality and law in the context of modern legal and political theory and contemporary history. For the modern mind, the concepts of morality and the function of law are deceptively simple. However, when examined closely, in their operational connection, they give rise to all sorts of questions and problems, for example: is evil law still law? To what extent and for what reasons can rights be suspended in times of emergency? To what extent is disobedience justified when the law is considered to be morally wrong?
Experiencing the law in action is a unique learning opportunity. By engaging in live casework in the Clinic, you will develop a deep understanding of the law, acquire practical legal skills and learn to reflect on the law in its wider sociological and political context.
You will participate in real life legal work under the supervision of experienced legal practitioners to assist clients of Kent Law Clinic. Helping to solve problems that impact upon the everyday lives of people who live with disadvantage will enable you to develop a sense of professional responsibility and will provide you with a rewarding experience.
You'll develop a range of legal skills through actively participating in tasks such as interviewing clients and drafting legal documents whilst also learning important practical skills including time management and empathy towards clients.
You will be assessed on your ability to carry out casework tasks and independent legal research throughout the term. Using your distinct casework experience you will then critically reflect on the relationship between your client’s legal problem and broader socio-legal issues.
Your learning will be supported by a holistic combination of seminars, small group supervision, one to one meetings and feedback sessions. You will also benefit from peer support and become part of the vibrant Kent Law Clinic community.
What is the purpose of banking law? Why are banks subject to distinct forms of regulatory supervision? You will learn about UK banking law and about the broader social, economic, and political issues and controversies that have surrounded banking in the years since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. You will appraise and analyse the role of banks in money creation. You will explore the relationship between banks and the UK’s banking regulators, including the Bank of England. You will learn about the bank-customer relationship, the role of banks in the payments system and the anti-money laundering regime with which banks must comply. You will explore the lending of money by banks to their customers and the security taken for the loans granted. Throughout this module, you will be encouraged to consider and evaluate the tensions and controversies that banks and banking regulators face as they pursue their sometimes complementary, sometimes conflicting objectives.
How are human rights protected in the law of England and Wales? To what extent does the European Convention on Human Rights and its case law affect our law? How is parliamentary sovereignty affected by the courts of England and Wales’ ability to follow the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights when interpreting UK legislation? You’ll examine these and other related questions as you navigate issues such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to protest, the right to life, the right to liberty and security and the right to a fair trial. You’ll consider developments such as new and proposed legislation and assess the extent to which they either respect or undermine human rights in England and Wales. You’ll consider relevant developments at the level of the Council of Europe and the impact these might have on law and policy in the UK. This is an exciting and ever-evolving area of law and one which attracts a lot of, often very inaccurate, attention in the media. You’ll be able to make a much more detailed and accurate assessment of human rights law as a result of examining these questions and issues in the module.
How and why do states use law to regulate international trade and investment? How can international economic disputes be resolved? What are the implications for corporations and individuals? How have the answers to these questions changed over time?
You'll use a critical sociolegal approach to systematically explore the legal texts, social contexts and moral subtexts that make up international economic law. Focus is on trade and investment as two core economic activities, on multinational corporations and states as key actors and on regulatory systems such as contracts and treaties, including treaty-based international organisations such as the World Trade Organisation. You will explore the interplay between economic principles and international law principles, in times of calm and in times of crisis. You will engage with podcasts and films to bring to life multiple perspectives from, for example, the public, private, and third sectors; the relatively poor and relatively rich; and from local, national, regional and global levels.
When you bake a cake, you need a list of ingredients and a recipe. Imagine the adversarial trial is a cake. If the substantive law provides the ingredients, then it is the law of evidence that provides the recipe and teaches you how to bake.
You will be asked to think like a lawyer. You will develop skills in inferential reasoning and apply them to various scenarios. You will be able to assess whether certain pieces of evidence have relevance, sufficient weight and probative value that outweighs prejudicial effect. You will be able to apply various exclusionary rules and discretions, whilst also critically examining these rules in their social and political contexts.
Armed with the knowledge and skills obtained in this module, you will be in a great position not only to undertake the first steps towards qualifying as a barrister or solicitor, but also have the skills to be able logically and coherently analyse, reason and argue in all sorts of other contexts. The law of evidence is a compulsory subject for both the SQE and BSB (Bar Standards Board) Central examinations.
What is the role of law in identifying and addressing human suffering on a global scale? You will confront this question by examining the evolution, principles, institutions and functions of international human rights law in their political, social, economic and especially, cultural contexts. You will gain a detailed knowledge and understanding of the origins and development of human rights law through critical study and analysis of key theoretical perspectives and debates. Through this module you will consider the relevance, or otherwise, of international human rights law to historical and/or contemporary challenges and critically assess its limitations and effects. In particular, you will focus on how international human rights issues (especially as they concern the ‘victims’, ‘perpetrators’, and ‘beneficiaries’ of human rights abuses) are represented in the broader popular culture and how they can be critically identified and analysed.
Have you ever considered teaching law in schools? Do you want to bring law to life for younger students? This is a one-term placement opportunity that allows you to teach on a unique programme in selected primary schools within the local community. Using the format of the hit TV show, Taskmaster, this exciting outreach project enables you to teach young people interesting aspects of the law through fun and interactive tasks. You will work with Year Five classes for approximately six hours over a period of four weeks in a Spring Term (excluding travel to and from the school and preparation and debrief time with the teacher). You will deliver each session with a team, on selected topics of the law, such as the operation of law, statutory interpretation, Tort Law and Human Rights. You will be supported in developing the skills needed for this project and provided guidance on the requirements for logging your activities and experiences, including a consultation and reflection on the sessions. This module will enable you to apply your legal knowledge, whilst teaching skills that are transferable to other professions.
What other topic in the study of law can boast of being as inevitable as death? Tax law pervades the world of business and also has a major impact on decisions taken in the private sphere. It is highly political, having vastly greater redistributive effects than almost any other direct exercise of the power of the state. But it is not about numbers or computations. It is about questions of legal doctrine, the structure and meaning of people's dealings with each other and (putting the two together, as with other areas of law) the application of the law to the facts.
You will become familiar with several major topics in tax law, such as the taxation of business profits, the taxation of employment income, the taxation of capital gains and VAT. You will explore important questions of principle and you will consider the policy debates that arise from them. Underpinning it all it, you will acquire some of the insights that the study of tax law provides into the seemingly unending three-way struggle between human populations, privately held wealth and the coercive power of the state.
How does law institute and regulate material spaces? How do spatial configurations intersect with law? In this interdisciplinary module you will examine how the understanding of law, regulation and policy can be improved by studying the spaces and spatial orders that the law institutes and regulates, as well as the ways in which spatial configurations generate materialisations of and resistances to law. You'll draw from urban planning, urban law, architecture, urban governance, socio-legal and critical legal studies, legal geography, and spatial approaches across disciplines.
Case studies may include: prisons, ghettos, slums, social housing, homelessness, refugee camps, immigration detention facilities, modern, future, utopian cities, street art, activism and occupations, digital and virtual spaces, ecocide and the protection of oceans, coastlines, and forests, the availability and uses of public spaces and non-western cultures of spatial relations. Drawing on contemporary events and examples and methods from the social sciences and the humanities you will be introduced to dominant paradigms of understanding the intersection of law, space and power, and consider ways in which they can be challenged.
What theoretical frameworks can help us to understand the concepts of race, religion, gender and sexuality? How do these concepts intersect with each other and with other social relations? You will engage with the issue of social justice from a range of different perspectives and consider legal and policy responses to contemporary social issues, such as gender and race pay gaps, unequal access to healthcare, and the limits of anti-discrimination frameworks. In doing so, you will discuss, debate, ask questions and consider diverse perspectives on the concepts being studied and relate them to specific case studies. You will have the opportunity to choose your own essay question or research project on a topic concerning race, religion, sexuality and/or gender justice. In preparation for this assessment, you will be introduced to and guided through key legal and interdisciplinary texts, debate and engage with these texts, develop your skills of analysis and argumentation and consider a range of sometimes conflicting perspectives on social justice issues.
The ability of a country to control access to its territory is a major topic of national and international debate. Should a state have the absolute ability to control its borders? Or should states give priority to the human rights of individuals seeking entrance or resisting removal – such as the right not to face torture or the right to family life? What role should Parliament or the courts play in deciding who should be allowed to enter and reside in the UK?
You will be introduced to immigration law in the United Kingdom including its historical development and the wider political context. In particular, you will cover topics such as: family migration and human rights, labour migration and trafficking, deportation law and foreign national offenders, long-term residence rights and “illegal” migration.
Drawing on policy documents, case law and critical analysis of developments at the national and international level, the module will enable you to acquire both sound knowledge of the law and critical awareness of the biases, gaps and challenges in the current immigration system.
Lectures will introduce you to key contemporary policy debates in the UK. Seminars will discuss key caselaw and involve practical case studies, allowing you to apply your knowledge to real-life scenarios.
In the current context of transnationalism, decolonialism and globalisation, every law student in the UK or abroad will almost inevitably encounter foreign law during their professional life. For one thing, international organisations regularly undertake cross-country comparisons to evaluate the efficiency of domestic laws. Also, law makers show themselves open to the influence of foreign legal ideas in the legislative process. Further, appellate judges increasingly refer to foreign law in the course of their opinions. Moreover, private parties often enter into legal arrangements, such as contracts or wills, presenting an international dimension. In sum, nowadays, foreign law is everywhere and cannot be avoided. In this module you will gain the necessary knowledge and methods to approach and compare any foreign law in a meaningful way. In particular, the module will heighten your sensitivity to the specificity of foreign legal cultures and encourage you to reflect in depth upon the possibilities and limits of cross-border interaction in the law. Another feature of this module will be a critical introduction to hermeneutics, deconstruction and translation studies as they relate to law. The module will develop concrete examples from a range of different national laws. You do not require any prior knowledge of foreign law or a foreign language.
We live in an era when legal decision-making seems both increasingly influenced and increasingly challenged, by science and technology. How can we make sense of the relationships between law and the fast-changing world of science and technology? How do we pay attention to the risks, inequalities, and injustices that may be produced when states uncritically use new technologies, or fail to acknowledge the inherent limitations, or blind spots, of global scientific knowledge? You'll be introduced to several interrelated fields including law, socio-legal studies, Science and Technology Studies (STS), anthropology and sociology, to think about these questions. You will critically engage with contemporary examples such as public health regulations; climate change; law and scientific expertise; the regulation of reproductive technologies; science in the courtroom; and the use of technologies in legal decision-making. You will use the literature to not only frame debates but to find ways of challenging the dominant paradigms through which the relationship between law and scientific knowledge tends to be understood. Cross-cutting themes for the module will include: legal decision-making and scientific uncertainty; the role of expertise in legal decision-making; the interface between law, power and technoscience; notions of objectivity and truth both in law and science; global science, postcolonialism and global inequalities.
The day you have been dreading for two years has arrived. You always knew that you would have to go to court and tell them what happened. You’re scared, you’re young, you have a disability and you can’t communicate well. You are vulnerable. How will the court hear your evidence? Will the cross-examination be ‘like a wounded animal being tortured in court’? Who are you? Are you the victim or are you the defendant?
You will examine what it means to be a vulnerable person in the criminal trial. You will critically evaluate the laws and processes that exist to help vulnerable witnesses give the best evidence they can. You will appraise the role of different stakeholders, whether that be the defence advocate cross-examining, the judge ruling in a ‘ground rules’ hearing or an intermediary advising the court on what measures a witness or defendant needs.
You will consider the debates surrounding rape myths and sexual offence trial reforms. You will gain an understanding of how young offenders are treated in the criminal justice system, and whether their vulnerabilities are taken into account. You will examine these debates from a range of different perspectives.
What is privacy? Why does it matter and how can we protect it? How can data be protected in a digital era where everything seems to be shared? You will focus on answering these questions and more through looking at the way the law defines and constructs privacy, cybersecurity threats and digital surveillance in the UK, EU and elsewhere and how the law regulates data protection, freedom of information and consent for digital and personal information collection. This will allow you to explore rapidly changing privacy and data protection issues including the ‘right to be forgotten’, the Internet of Things (IoT), AI, cybersecurity law post-Snowden and how we approach developments in digital surveillance such as facial recognition technology (FRT) and the use of AI.
You will be asked to critically examine whether privacy protection laws, consent and confidentiality measures are fit for purpose. You will engage in critical analysis of how personal, health and economic transactional data are managed, who has access to this information and for what purposes. This is placed within the broader context of the digital and cyber landscape, considering hacking and transnational cybercrimes. You will be required to assess emerging legal, regulatory, data protection and personal privacy issues raised by widespread access to personal information, responding to changes in data protection law and changes in the cyber landscape.
Privacy, Data Protection and Cyber Law raised detailed questions which you have the opportunity to explore. These may include questions such as: Is privacy furthered or reduced by developments in AI and the metaverse? Who benefits from data generated in smart homes and how and where is it regulated?
You will build on the understanding developed in Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law, which introduces you to the key concepts and issues in the regulatory framework governing privacy, data protection and developments in cyber-crime and cyber security. You will engage in far more in-depth, critical enquiry and insight in the subject area using current issues and case studies as a platform for developing more specialist knowledge and ideas.
You will be adopting a research and scholarship led approach allowing you to make a more tightly focused analysis of emerging current issues in the area of data and cyber law than is possible in the earlier Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law module.
The specific topics considered will be revised annually to engage with current issues in data protection and cyber law, for example transnational cyber crime, developments in AI and data in a world of constantly emerging technology.
What is the interrelationship between political theory and law in our times? Drawing upon a broad range of political theory, you will explore key concepts of political relevance to law, such as: sovereignty, power, community, the subject and resistance. You will build a solid understanding of political theory in relation to these key concepts and then use this understanding to examine contemporary political and juridical questions, such as those of: democracy and citizenship, multiculturalism, bio-politics, secularism, terrorism, post-colonialism and contemporary formations of Empire. In so doing, you will gain the intellectual tools necessary to apply insights from political theory and philosophy to the study of law and its relevant problems.
Multinational corporations (MNCs) have the power to shape the lives of communities across the globe. At times, this power can be used to prioritise profit over people, create laws or even cause wars. This module asks, what is the role of MNCs in shaping global governance? how can we hold MNCs accountable when they cause harm to communities across the globe? Is such accountability possible?
In the first part of the module, you will examine the history of the rise of corporate power from colonialisation to neoliberalism, observing the growing accountability gap along the way. With these premises in mind, in the second part of the module you will study the regulations governing corporate conduct affecting communities across the globe. You will engage with different international legal regimes, focusing on the emerging field of business and human rights. You will also discuss investment and trade laws, among others. Finally, in the third part of the module you will engage with the practice of global corporate accountability through case studies, exploring the potentialities and limitations of both civil and criminal litigation.
Why is music as an art form controlled and occasionally criminalised by the state? What are the potential implications for artistic expression and cultural freedom within society? You will approach the relationship between music and law from two main points of view: one theoretical and the other critical and sociological. You will first explore how music and the soundscape have been theorised as a specific legal and political problem in the field of Law and the Humanities. Drawing on these theoretical principles, you will go on to examine state intervention in censoring or controlling music and the attempt at criminalising specific genres of music. A specific focus will be the use of rap music in criminal trials in the UK and US and the use of lawsuits as a weapon to criminalise heavy metal bands.
Millions of people have been forced to cross the borders of their home state and seek asylum. How do legal systems (national and international) provide or deny protection to asylum seekers and refugees and why? In this module you will engage critically with the matter of asylum and refugeehood in both a national and international context. You will be introduced to the sources of asylum and refugee law and a critical consideration of the relevant case law in the UK and internationally. You will employ interdisciplinary material to aid understanding and reflection on the historical and socio-cultural evolution of the governance and regulation of asylum and refugee subjects. In addition, you will devote critical attention to key contemporary problems in asylum and refugee law, and refugee studies more broadly, including current national and international developments and scholarly and practitioner reflections in the field.
What are the limits of protection that tort law offers? Whose interests does tort law prioritise and who does it fail? When does tort law intersect with human rights issues? You will focus on various contentious areas of tort law from a critical perspective.
You will consider where such issues arise (using your prior knowledge and understanding of the foundational levels of tort law taught in the earlier Tort Law module) in areas such as: reproductive harms, wrongful birth/life, ‘toxic torts’, invasion of privacy and/or autonomy, feminist perspectives on/critiques of torts, tort law and sexual violence, negligent policing (and negligence of other public bodies), tort law and human rights, transnational torts, access to justice and conceptions of justice in tort, and philosophy of tort. Various themes will be identified as existing within and threading through the topics covered, such as (non-exhaustively) ‘gender’, ‘autonomy’, ‘power’, ‘money’, ‘justice’, ‘environment’.
Teaching of each specific topic is undertaken by an ‘expert’; resultantly the coverage of topics may vary on an annual basis according to staff availability.
You'll have already considered questions about the applicability of bioethical theories and concepts to legal decision-making and health care policy in your studies. Now you have the opportunity to explore and deepen your knowledge and critical legal abilities by exploring further questions such as how advances in genetic medicine challenge assisted reproductive regulation and the delivery of personalised medicine and whether social and ethical values about assisted dying, abortion, and public versus private medicine should be drivers for legal and regulatory change. You will build on the understanding developed in Law and Medical Ethics. You will engage in more in-depth and critical enquiry and will gain greater insight into bioethical, clinical, and legal tensions by examining current issues, regulatory developments, and case studies as a platform for developing specialist knowledge, ideas, and awareness. You will be adopting a research and scholarship led approach allowing you to make a more sustained, critical, and directed analysis of emerging issues in bioethics, health policy and medical law, such as pandemics, developments in genetics, xenotransplantation and the effects of ableism and structural racism.
Do lawyers have moral duties as well as legal duties? Should they be required to defend someone they know is guilty? Or to do something they believe to be morally questionable, even if legally permissible, just because it’s their client’s instructions? Can, in fact, a good lawyer be a good person? You will tackle these questions and more through an in-depth examination of the moral and ethical questions surrounding legal practice; interrogating the idea that there might be something specific to law and legal practice that warrants a specific set of ethics – and what that should contain.
You will begin with an exploration of the moral reasoning and arguments that justify the notion of legal ethics. Equipped with these theoretical foundations, you will move to examine the practice of lawyers and lawyering; using a series of case studies and real-world examples to explore issues like conflict of interest, integrity, confidentiality and complicity. Through these case studies you will challenge your understanding of legal ethics and the notion of professional ethics more broadly. You'll gain an intellectually demanding introduction to the academic study of legal ethics, and the ethics of lawyering more broadly, which will push you to hone your skills of argumentation, analysis and critique.
How do different legal cultures address environmental problems? Is environmental quality a human right? Are market-orientated approaches the future of environmental law? Should human health or environmental health constitute the priority of law and policy? How can the pursuit of environmental justice inform environmental law and policy? By introducing you to examples and case studies from different jurisdictions and historical periods, your studies develop your ability to understand and critically evaluate environmental measures and policies in varied social, political and economic contexts. Each week you'll explore a legal response to a particular environmental problem. You will gain knowledge of the key principles, norms and regulatory approaches that underpin efforts to address environmental problems around the world. You will also develop the ability to critically reflect on the very idea of nature and on broader debates regarding precaution, prevention, adaptation that underpin environmental law.
When is a wedding a legal marriage? How does the law define domestic abuse? When can the state remove children from their parents’ care? Why is someone considered a legal parent in the first place?
You will consider these questions and more by learning about how law interacts with important aspects of personal life in the legal construction of families and responses to family problems. English family law is an exciting and fast-paced area of law. Many issues have undergone significant reform in recent years (marriage, civil partnerships, domestic abuse, child protection, adoption, divorce, child arrangements) and/or are currently the subject of major debates or reform proposals (cohabitation, weddings law, surrogacy, financial separation, child arrangements – again!). You will not only learn about what the law is, but also examine its underpinning policies and the socio-political context in which it operates.
Recurring themes and concepts will run throughout, such as the role of state intervention versus private ordering; individual or family autonomy; equality, rights and responsibilities within families; the priority and meaning given to child welfare; and strong norms and expectations attaching to gender, biology and heterosexual relationships. The extent to which English family law is inclusive of minority or disadvantaged groups in society will also be examined.
A safe and secure home is vital for a person's social and psychological wellbeing, yet homelessness continues to be a huge problem in the UK today. Is homelessness inevitable or is it the result of social, political and economic choices? What protection does the law provide for those without shelter or living in precarious housing?
Gain detailed knowledge of homelessness law and a comprehensive understanding of contemporary policy debates.
You will focus initially on key legal concepts and duties of local authorities towards people experiencing homelessness. You will then consider the wider sociological and political context. You will explore how differing values, including judgments about who is deserving and undeserving, pervade homelessness law and policies.
You will examine whether neoliberal policies promoting reliance on the market have been effective, or have weakened protections, thereby exacerbating inequalities.
Your learning will be supported by a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. You will develop the ability to critically evaluate homelessness law and policies. You will gain a critical understanding of how responses to homelessness intersect with contemporary understandings of citizenship and the relationship between the individual and the state. You will be able to evaluate creative and innovative solutions to homelessness.
How do consumer markets shape and structure our consumption habits and decision-making? In this module, you will explore and critically reflect on the contemporary regulation of consumer markets. Consumer markets raise practical questions about everyday consumption of goods and services as well as theoretical issues about the role of the state in the regulation of markets. You will learn how to contrast and compare neo-liberal and social visions of consumer markets and examine different forms of consumer markets regulation. You will study topics such as:
You will build your understanding of and reflection on the law, policies and institutional frameworks concerning the regulation of consumer markets and develop insights on the exciting and ever-changing area of consumer law.
Follow your intellectual curiosity as you are guided to design, conduct and communicate research on a legal or socio-legal topic of your choice. Drawing on the rich culture of research and scholarship at Kent Law School, you will be supported to carefully define a research question, and then critically engage with and analyse current literature on the topic through regular contact with your supervisor, extending and deepening your analysis across the two terms. You will learn about rigorous and relevant legal and socio-legal research methods through a series of workshops and will demonstrate application of appropriate methods and frameworks in your own work. Finally, you will be encouraged to share your research in a mode of your choice, and also to reflect on the process of designing, carrying out and presenting a piece of research.
To be eligible for this module, you must arrange your own supervision within the Law School and confirm this with your supervisor in writing before the start of the module. Please note that not all staff will be available to supervise research projects every year, and that there will be a cap on the number of projects staff members can supervise.
Ever wondered how digital platforms can influence what you think, feel, and do? In this module, we explore the complex world of platform and surveillance capitalism, revealing how your personal data and sophisticated algorithms are used to shape your behaviour. We explore:
The module supports critical reflection and encourages you to examine your own lived experiences shaped by platform and surveillance capitalism. You can demonstrate your knowledge through traditional essays or explore non-traditional, creative formats. This might include mini-films, animations, or other creative expressions – the choice is yours! This approach empowers you to analyse platform and surveillance capitalism in a way that is meaningful to you while demonstrating your understanding with creativity and impact.
Is it possible to attain economic and social development through law? If so, what are the possibilities and limits of relying on law to bring about such changes? This module invites you to critically examine the role of law in the pursuit of economic, human, and social development globally. You will be introduced to scholarship from law, international development, anthropology, and politics that examine how certain notions of ‘development’ are codified through international instruments and how they have facilitated targeted legal reforms in different parts of the world. You will be invited to critically examine the role of international organisations in shaping ideas of what constitutes development and how those goals are pursued through international and national law.
In the first half of the module, you will map the theory, history, and extent of the international development field. In the second part of the module, you will focus on how specific social issues such as poverty, elections and democracy, rule of law, and gender-based violence have been identified as ‘developmental’ problems by international organisations and how they address them. The latter part also invites you to engage with the ‘local’ experiences of international development initiatives as represented in newspaper articles, documentaries, and literature.
Have you ever thought how much companies are capable of influencing society and daily life? From the quality of services provided to the prices charged; through to the potential for huge monetary losses for creditors in the event of insolvency. Multinational companies accumulate vast amounts of wealth and yet there are problems with governance and accountability. Who balances and checks decision making? You will examine contemporary debates around corporate governance. You will be provided with a critical understanding of modern capitalism and the rise of the modern multidivisional, multinational company and its impact on company law. You will explore in detail the nature of shareholdings and how shares are financed and even repurchased by a company. You will learn key aspects of corporate management and control, involving directors' duties, shareholders rights and remedies. You will examine the procedures triggered when a company fails financially, including corporate rescues and liquidations. You will go beyond what and why and look at the impact of companies. By the end of the module, you will be able to evaluate whether company law is formulated to meet the regulation of large modern corporations.
Dive into the realm of copyright law, where creativity and emerging technologies converge, presenting new challenges for protecting interests such as those of authors, users and online business models. You will explore the social and economic rationales for supporting these interests in the digital environment alongside policy interventions from an international and comparative perspective. You will assess the impact of copyright law on creativity, heavily influenced by new technologies, and evaluate whether the current copyright law system strikes a fair balance between protection and access to creative content, or whether a digital cultural revolution is necessary. Understanding these issues is crucial as it influences how we create, consume and share content online. More practically, the ability to apply knowledge of the rapidly changing digital environment is critical for advising businesses in creative industries. Examining intellectual property through the lens of creativity and technology will also equip you with the toolkit to assess emerging issues in other areas of intellectual property addressed in Brands, Inventions and Intellectual Property.
Brands and inventions are among the most valuable intellectual property rights shaping our everyday life. They help to define our roles as consumers, citizens, users and our interaction with governments and corporations. How are these intellectual property law rights acquired? What are their rationales? How are they legally protected and exploited?
Within both international and comparative perspectives, you will explore the law of trademarks and patents and how they are affected by several assumptions and policy interventions. The module will not merely provide you with a solid understanding of these branches of intellectual property law but will also explore their increasing commercial, cultural and social significance.
You have the opportunity to select elective modules in this stage.
How you'll study
As well as scheduled teaching hours, students in Kent Law School are expected to do an amount of independent study. For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme includes approximately 1200 learning hours. Our popular mooting programme develops your advocacy skills in a simulated courtroom setting before a bench comprising local judges, practising barristers, solicitors and lecturers.
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.
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.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise approximately 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.
For programme aims and learning outcomes, including for Joint Honours programmes and for Law with a Foundation Year, please see the programme specification.
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:
Our degree course contains 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).
The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for undergraduate students are £1,850.
Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
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In the QS World University Rankings 2024, Kent has been ranked 39th within the UK and is in the top 25% of Higher Education Institutions worldwide.
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Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
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