Module SXL-3210:
European Union Law

Module Facts

Run by School of History, Law and Social Sciences

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 1

Organiser: Dr Craig Prescott

Overall aims and purpose

The primary aim of this module is to enable students to state and apply EU law as it continues to be relevant to the legal system of England and Wales post-Brexit. Upon completing this module, students will understand and appraise the history of the UK's EU membership, the process of withdrawal, the legacy of EU law on the legal system of England and Wales as retained EU law, and the ongoing relationship between the EU and the UK, now that the latter is no longer an EU Member State.

Course content

The module allows students to study different areas of EU Law and its continuing relevance to the legal system of England and Wales in the form of retained EU law and the constitutional implications of the UK's entry into and withdrawal from the EU.

An indicative list of areas covered by the module includes;

  • The history of the UK's membership of the EU and its impact on the UK constitution;
  • The key institutions and processes within the EU;
  • The process of the UK's withdrawal from the EU;
  • The concept, scope and content of retained EU law, as derived from EU law, including the internal market and competition law;
  • The terms of the Withdrawal Agreement and the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, their incorporation into UK law, and constitutional implications.

Assessment Criteria

good

B- to B+ (60-69%) High Standard: A comprehensive answer, containing all the material relevant to the question and no irrelevancy, all the material and references being accurate and correct, there being no inaccuracy or error, the whole presented in an argument which, while clear, logical and critical, leaves room for improvement in its construction and presentation. An answer which shows complete competence in the subject.

excellent

A- to A* (70+%) An outstanding, possibly brilliant, answer, containing all the material relevant to the question and no irrelevancy, all the material and references being accurate and correct, there being no inaccuracy or error, the whole presented in a clear, logical, critical argument with little room for improvement. An answer which demonstrates a complete mastery of the subject.

C- to C+

C- to C+ (50-59%) An answer which, while always in the main accurate and correct, fails to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant material and is lacking in criticism. An answer which while reliable with regard to correctness is either not comprehensive or not entirely pertinent.

threshold

D- to D+ (40-49%) An answer which, while predominantly correct in its presentation of material, contains a significant level of error and is therefore not entirely reliable.

Learning outcomes

  1. Appraise the following areas: the history of the EU, the UK's membership of the EU, and the process of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, and then develop the ability to propose and justify links between these areas from legal, political and historical perspectives.

  2. Critically examine the constitutional implications of the UK’s membership of, and/or withdrawal from the EU.

  3. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding and the ability to critically analyse retained EU law and/or aspects of EU law (e.g. the internal market and competition law).

  4. Identify, synthesise and critically evaluate relevant sources of UK law and EU law.

  5. Demonstrative a comprehensive knowledge of EU Law and UK law and the ability to accurately apply that knowledge to actual or hypothetical factual scenarios.

  6. Demonstrate a high level of skill in articulating, structuring, and applying sophisticated arguments to actual or hypothetical factual scenarios, appropriately presenting those arguments in writing.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
Written assignment 40.00
Final examination 60.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Lecture

38 hours of lectures taught over one semester, with four hours of lectures each week for nine weeks of the semester, and two hours of lectures taking place on one other week.

 38
Private study

Students undertake 156 hours of study to prepare for lectures, tutorials and assessments.

 156
Tutorial

Tutorials will routinely require students to engage individually and in groups in acquiring, commenting upon, critically evaluating, and applying the principles and details of the subject under the guidance and instruction of the tutor.

Six tutorials, each of one-hour duration, will run over six weeks of one semester.

 6

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Subject specific skills

  • Develop the ability to interpret legal rules and employ techniques of legal reasoning competently and efficiently in order to offer a range of solutions and conclusions to actual or hypothetical complex legal problems, all supported by relevant academic literature, jurisprudence and legislative research. Such solutions will be clearly communicated and presented
  • Develop the ability to analyse complex legal issues, set against the background of the political, social, economic or cultural contexts in which they may arise
  • Develop those skills which are necessary for scholarship and research in legal subjects, namely the ability to identify relevant primary and secondary legal sources and to retrieve accurate legal information using paper and electronic sources

Resources

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/sxl-3210.html

Reading list

Recommended Textbook

  • Sylvia de Mars, EU Law in the UK (OUP 2020)

Alternative Textbooks

  • Paul Craig & Grainne de Burca, EU Law (OUP 2020)
  • Nigel Foster, Foster on EU Law (OUP 2019)

Statute Book

  • Blackstone's EU Treaties & Legislation 2020-21

Journals

  • Public Law
  • Common Market Law Review
  • European Law Review
  • European Law Journal
  • European Public Law
  • Yearbook of European Law

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: