Module SXL-3130:
Media Law

Module Facts

Run by School of History, Law and Social Sciences

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Ms Chaynee Hodgetts

Overall aims and purpose

The aim of the module is to equip students to state and apply the Media Law rules of England & Wales and of the European Union dealt within the course accurately and relevantly, in particular the law relating to issues such as freedom of the press, defamation, contempt of court, protection of journalists’ sources and privacy. Students will be expected to develop an appreciation of the legal regulation of broadcasting in England, Wales and the European Union, with particular attention to licensing, freedom of transmission and reception of programmes, broadcasting standards, the role of the Office of Communications (OFCOM) and European Union broadcasting policy and the impact of the EU Audio-Visual Media Services Directive.

The module will also enable students to compare and contrast different aspects of Media Law accurately and relevantly with the equivalent areas of any other legal system with which the student is familiar.

Course content

TThe module will allow students to study a range of issues within Media Law, including but not limited to:

  • Introduction to Media Law and the concept of freedom of speech
  • Models of government regulation of speech - England, Wales and the European Union
  • Open Justice and Court Reporting
  • Privacy Law in the United Kingdom and European Union
  • Defamation
  • Contempt of Court
  • Journalism and the law
  • Television Production and the law
  • Social Media and the Law.

Assessment Criteria

excellent

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.

threshold

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.

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.

good

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.

Learning outcomes

  1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of, and be able to critically analyse differences between English & Welsh, and European Union Media Law, and the Media Law in other jurisdictions, for example the United States of America.

  2. Critically evaluate and discuss key debates in English & Welsh and European Union Media Law, and relate the principal characteristics of these laws to their political, social and cultural contexts.

  3. Demonstrate an advanced understanding and appreciation of Media Law and recent developments in the area, in relation to the operation of both the press and broadcasting industries.

  4. Formulate original interpretations and arguments on topics relating to English & Welsh and European Union Media Law, including creating new links between relevant topics.

  5. Accurately apply detailed knowledge of English & Welsh, and European Union Media Law to complex actual or hypothetical factual scenarios.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
COURSEWORK Written assignment

Students will complete a 3,000 word essay on topics taken from topics covered in the module.

 40.00
EXAM Final Examination

Students will sit a two hour exam on topics taken from their studies across the semester.

Students will answer two questions; one essay format and one problem question format.

 60.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Private study

The module requires students to undertake private study in order to prepare for lectures, the midterm essay and final examination.

Students will be expected to engage with a range of academic sources to demonstrate further research.

 156
Lecture

The module will be taught by means of 44 hours of lectures over the course of one semester. Lectures are delivered weekly and are two-hours in length.

 44

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

Resource implications for students

Students should have a copy of the key textbook

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/sxl-3130.html

Reading list

The key textbook for this module is Ursula Smartt, Media and Entertainment Law (4th Edn, Routledge 2019).

Readings ahead of each lecture will be detailed in the syllabus but will include materials such as:

  • Jacob Rowbottom, Media Law (Hart Publishing 2018)
  • http://www.5rb.com/
  • Entertainment Law Review
  • Journal of Media Law
  • Communications Law
  • The Entertainment and Sports Law Journal
  • Privacy & Data Protection Journal.

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: