Tort Law (Senior Status)

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenors: Frederick Cowell, Jeremy Pilcher
• Assessment: a three-hour examination with 15 minutes' reading time (100%)

The module aims to examine the effectiveness of the tort system in compensating individuals suffering personal injury, injury to reputation, psychological damage, economic loss or incursions on private property as a result of accidents, disease or intentional acts. Focusing on the tort of negligence in particular, the module explores the social, economic and political contexts in which the rules and principles of tort are applied.

The module is divided into three parts:

• The historical development of tort, the nature of tort law and the relation between tort and other branches of the law of obligations and tort's relation with other legal systems; the organising themes of fault and damage within tort law, drawing upon examples from tort law and tort of negligence
• The tort of negligence, with emphasis on the duty of care concept
• Intentional torts, with emphasis on torts aimed at the protection of reputation, confidential information and the quiet enjoyment of land

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• understand the basic rules and principles relating to tort law
• demonstrate familiarity with various theories pertaining to the nature and functions of tort law
• write critically and analytically about key concepts  of tort law
• display a detailed knowledge of principles governing the tort of negligence
• display knowledge and understanding of key cases in tort law
• display knowledge and understanding of academic literature relating to tort law
• apply case law, academic articles and, where appropriate, legislative sources to complex hypothetical scenarios in tort and to aid critical analysis of aspects of the law of tort
• understand how tort law relates to other European and international legal systems and to other branches of the common law.