| Unit name | British Immigration, Nationality, and Citizenship Law |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD20045 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Prabhat |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This optional unit is a research-led unit on migration law which is highly topical. It will engage you in a detailed and critical examination of immigration controls and in doing so it will assess the protections available to migrants in the context of relevant legislation and policies in the UK and under international law. It will draw on public law concepts in UK as well as international law and human rights frameworks. It adopts traditional doctrinal law and policy analysis and combines it with critical and socio-legal approaches. The unit aims to develop your critical analytical skills with regard to contemporary research-informed questions, such as the justifications for detention and deportation, provision of asylum, and the legitimacy of immigration controls. Consideration of the wider historical, political, economic, and social context is the highlight of this unit.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This inter-disciplinary unit will help deepen competence in, and knowledge of, key concepts in public law, human rights law and international law as related to immigration, asylum, and citizenship. It consolidates and builds upon knowledge and skills acquired in the first year of study in Constitutional Rights and Law & State. It adds the skills of contextual analysis of the law, which means drawing on concepts and data from the wider societal context to complement the study of the internal logic of the law. You will develop your capacity to undertake legal research and sharpen their writing skills above the level already acquired in the first year of your studies. It can be taken in second year or final year of your UG studies.
An overview of content
Through involvement in the unit, you will be able to understand and analyse the evolution of the national immigration law system and explain the rationales underlying the legal responses to migration.
At the end of this unit you will be familiar with the following topics:
Learning will be structured around lectures and seminars. Lectures will provide the basic structure around the assigned reading while seminars will further develop the ideas and generate critical thinking on the issues. You will explore the historical evolution of British immigration and nationality law, learn about visas, and asylum processes, and evaluate the legal dimensions of nationality and citizenship.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
By the end of the unit you will develop deeper critical analytical skills, acquire the ability to identify and develop research questions, and be able to explain the law in the context of political and societal developments. You will be equipped with the conceptual skills to critically analyse contemporary immigration controversies and evaluate their legal dimensions.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:
The unit consists of a weekly mix of seminar, lecture and guided independent activities. These activities combine teacher delivery, asynchronous activities such as recorded interviews/talks and other teaching materials, student discussion, student group work and student independent activities including structured reading, engaging with audio/visual resources and analysing different written data sources. The unit involves about 175 hours of work.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will prepare and submit a formative essay outline drawing on topics taught until week 5 by end of Week 5 (1000 words). You will receive individual written feedback and cohort-wide feedback, usually in the form of a lecture. Discussions in lectures and seminars also provide ongoing opportunities for feedback from academic staff and your peers, and enable you to reflect on your knowledge and understanding.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1 x Coursework essay with a specified word count (3000 words). This will assess all of the intended learning outcomes for this unit. Students answer one essay question which can develop on the earlier outline and add some examples from topics taught after week 5 to their formative outline or attempt a wholly new essay attempt.
When assessment does not go to plan
Should a student fail the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis. The reassessment will take the same format as the original summative assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWD20045).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
