| Unit name | Advanced Tort |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD20042 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Stanton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
LAWD10011 Law of Tort |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The Unit aims to develop students’ understanding of the theories underlying tort law and of the scholarship relating to the operation of this area of law. It thus builds on the elementary law taught in the first year Tort unit. The unit will address a number of contemporary issues relating to the development of the role of the law of tort in the light of developments in the EU and under the European Convention on Human Rights. The unit will also introduce students to important areas of commercial tort law. The unit will develop students’ skills in analysing and evaluating this area of private law and legal developments and policy initiatives relating to it.
Subject knowledge: students will be introduced to: the literature concerning the theory of tort law; the socio-legal literature on the working of the accident compensation system; materials relating to the harmonisation of the law through the EU, the development of European private law and the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights and Human Rights Act 1998 on contemporary tort law. Students will also gain an understanding of the application of tort law in a commercial context through the study of business torts.
Contextual skills: students will develop an understanding of the operation of operation of accident compensation law through studying of research literature on the subject.
Legal skills: students will gain familiarity in handling theoretical and EU derived legal materials and a critical appreciation of current law. Application: analytical, critical and evaluative skills will be developed.
10 x 2hr Seminars
10 x workshops/lectures
A formative essay (1,000 words) will be used in the first teaching block to assess the development of the students’ knowledge of the theories of tort liability and of the operation of different models of accident compensation systems used in different jurisdictions.
The first summative assessment (2,000 words 50% choice of four titles) will assess the contextual and critical skills learned in the first teaching block in relation to different accident compensation systems and the theories of compensation.
The second summative assessment (2,000 words 50% choice of four titles) will assess the students’ legal and critical skills in relation to the topic of commercial torts and the impact on tort liability of the EU, European Private Law and the European Convention on Human Rights.
