Legal Systems and Methods (Senior Status)

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Professor Daniel Monk
• Assessment: a short in-class writing exercise (5%), in-class multiple-choice test (30%), in-class editing exercise (15%) and 1250/1500-word take-home essay (50%)

In this module we introduce you to your law degree and the skills you will need to be successful in it. We will cover:

• basic legal concepts
• elements of the English legal system
• some of the unique features of studying law
• ways to approach assessments effectively.

The module will prepare you to study your degree in an analytical and critical manner and give you some initial practice in the skills to do this. It also introduces you to the style of teaching used by Birkbeck Law School, balancing a mix of theory, case studies and rigorous academic analysis of law and the legal system.

Lastly, you will have an opportunity to improve your skills for academic research and writing, which will prepare you for completing your dissertation.