Module SXL-3130:
Media Law

Module Facts

Run by School of Law

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Ms Chaynee Hodgetts

Overall aims and purpose

Media Law is an optional module in the LLB programme. The aim of this module is to enable students to state and apply the media law rules of England and Wales and of the European Union dealt with in 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 also be expected to develop an appreciation of the legal regulation of broadcasting in the UK and Europe, with particular attention to licensing, freedom of transmission and reception of programmes, broadcasting standards, the role of the Office of Communications and the Board of Governors of the BBC. It will 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

The module will allow the student to study modern English & Welsh and some aspects of European Union media law in the context of the operation of the modern media, in particular the law relating to issues such as freedom of the press, defamation, contempt of court, protection of journalists’ sources, freedom of information and privacy. It will also examine the legal regulation of broadcasting in the UK and Europe, 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.

Assessment Criteria

threshold

An answer which, while predominantly correct in its presentation of material, contains a significant level of error and is therefore not entirely reliable.

good

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

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.

Learning outcomes

  1. Find, identify and use correctly sources of relevant media law in relation to English & Welsh and European Union media law.

  2. Undertake independent legal research in relation to English & Welsh media law and European Union media law.

  3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principal characteristics and concepts of English & Welsh and European media law, relating them to their political, social, economic, and cultural context.

  4. Compare, contrast and evaluate different perspectives and points of view involved on topics such as of freedom of the press, defamation, contempt of court, protection of journalists’ sources, privacy and regulation of broadcasting.

  5. Critically evaluate the debates about the development of concepts on the topics of freedom of the press, defamation, contempt of court, protection of journalists’ sources, privacy and regulation of broadcasting.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
Written 1
2 hour 2

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Private study 160
Seminar

20 seminars, two hours per week over two semesters. Seminars will routinely require students to engage individually and in groups in acquiring, commenting upon and applying the principles and details of the subject under the guidance and instruction of the tutor.

 40

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.
  • Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
  • Mentoring - Able to support, help, guide, inspire and/or coach others
  • Caring - Showing concern for others; caring for children, people with disabilities and/or the elderly
  • Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
  • 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
  • Leadership - Able to lead and manage, develop action plans and objectives, offer guidance and direction to others, and cope with the related pressures such authority can result in

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

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: