| Unit name | Legal Perspectives on Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0127 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Shah |
| 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 |
Not applicable. |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Sustainability is a dominant, and increasingly topical, issue permeating many legal fields. An increasing number of scholars in our Law School specialise in areas relating to environmental/climate law/justice. In addition to this, many more scholars’ work directly addresses economic, environmental, social and cultural elements of sustainability.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit aims to capture the ways in which these pillars of sustainability comprise an important aspect of courses taught and researched throughout the law school. The course will be the product of a collaborative teaching effort to capture the way in which the topic of sustainability impacts an enormous range of legal subjects. By considering sustainability in relation to different sources and fields of law, we can provide opportunities for comprehensive analysis of the way in which sustainability discourses push certain legal boundaries and the way in which the law in turn changes global conversations around sustainability. An emphasis on collaborative teaching also offers students the opportunity to consider the topic of 'sustainability and law' in in its economic, social, political, and philosophical contexts.
An overview of content
In the unit we wish to consider:
In so doing, we will examine such subjects as environmental law, poverty alleviation including food security, labour standards, corporate governance and intellectual property, considering both theoretical perspectives and regulatory instruments.
We aim to introduce students to a variety of theoretical and conceptual lenses through which they might interpret and critically interrogate various discourses relating to sustainability and law – including perspectives from Indigenous and Global South literatures that are not traditionally encompassed within mainstream sustainability discourses.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
This unit will enable students to connect their learning across various modules taught in the Law School with the topical and globally relevant theme of sustainability. Students' understandings of sustainability will be enriched through interaction with the diverse teaching team - this will introduce students to numerous threads of inquiry, any of which they might wish to pursue further through independent research in their dissertation, or beyond. The nature of the teaching on this unit, and the topics covered, will offer students the opportunity to engage meaningfully with Bristol's broader sustainability-oriented vision. The currency of sustainability as a theme means that the module can also add to the knowledge and skills that students can transfer to future employment roles.
Intended Learning Outcomes
How you will learn
This unit will be team-taught, with seminars taught by scholars with specific expertise in each relevant subject area. This will offer students the opportunity to develop an understanding of sustainability as a conceptual and philosophical lens that can be brought to bear upon a range of legal disciplines. The unit will begin by considering the basics of ‘sustainability’ in terms of the concept’s role in policy currently and historically, the ‘four pillars’, and providing an introduction to debates surrounding both the definition and content of the term ‘sustainability’.
Subsequently, sustainability will be considered in relation to several areas of law (with each seminar covering one area of law, or legal theme) – for example, past years have devoted seminars to sustainability and land use, sustainability and word trade law, and sustainability and intellectual property law. The specific areas of law considered in these seminars will depend upon the expertise of scholars available to teach the unit each year. The mode of teaching will primarily be through two-hour fortnightly seminars, with lectures to introduce key and foundational themes. The seminar-focused format allows for plenty of discussion between teachers and students, and amongst students. This interactive format allows students to gain the maximum benefit from the fact that seminar content is tailored to the expertise of seminar leaders.
We will also hold two workshops on ‘case studies’ to be selected each year to be held in December/January, which will focus on enabling students to develop problem-solving and future thinking skills in relation to issues pertaining to sustainability and law. These workshops will draw out the problem-based, practical elements of the course, and will help students to consider the real-life applications of the more conceptual themes discussed across the unit.
Unit structure
4 lectures (each of one hour frontloaded).
11 fortnightly two hour seminars taught by a variety of scholars, with some seminars co-taught.
1 revision seminar.
Suggested reading and references:
Much of the reading in the form of primary policy and legal instruments and journal articles will be available for all students online. Other useful texts include:
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
One formative coursework (1,500 words). Feedback on the formative coursework will be released before the submission of the first summative assessment to allow students to benefit from academic guidance.
Two pieces of summative coursework (3,000 words) which count for 50% each. Feedback on the first summative coursework will be released before the submission of the second summative assessment to allow students to benefit from academic guidance.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The first piece of coursework will offer students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of the ways in which the ‘pillars of sustainability’ interact with a particular area of law. Students should be able to demonstrate the ability to articulate a definition of sustainability informed by teaching on the unit, as well as independent critical thinking and research (see ILOs 1 and 2). They should then demonstrate the ability to evaluate a specific area of law, informed by a textured understanding of sustainability (see ILOs 3 and 4). The second piece of coursework, from the vantage point of the latter part of the academic year, will offer students the opportunity to critically evaluate the philosophical and conceptual dimensions of sustainability in relation to specific areas of law and/or broader current political and social issues covered in the course (see ILOs 4 and 5). The essay-based nature of these assessments will allow students to critically engage with the intricacies of the conceptual and legal issues presented in the course, whilst also providing them with a degree of autonomy to delve more deeply into the strands of the course material that resonate most with them.
When the assessment does not go to plan:
Should a student not achieve a pass mark at their first summative assessment attempt, they will be permitted to resit that assessment in the reassessment period. The reassessment will remain in the same format as the first sit.
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. LAWDM0127).
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.
