Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Law and the Political Economy LAW3015

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Law
  • Credits: 30
  • Level: Level 3 (SCQF level 9)
  • Typically Offered: Runs Throughout Semesters 1 and 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Available to Erasmus Students: Yes

Short Description

The course will introduce students to key theories of political economy including those of Karl Marx, Adam Smith, and Karl Polanyi. It will then address some of the most important questions arising in contemporary political economy from a legal perspective: legal management of risk and its environmental impact, the regulation of money, legal discipline of public debts, legal status of the commons and natural resources.

Timetable

Two-hour seminar every week for 15 classes. Tuesdays 11am-1pm.

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

4000 word essay (40%) This will be used to assess attainment of the first ILO (Discuss and explain the origins and forms of market economy, and the particular demands that these origins and forms create for governance)

 

Two-hour exam (60%) This will be used to assess attainment of the second and third ILOs (Identify governance issues in contemporary political economy and explain why these issues present particular challenges for governance actors; Critically evaluate patterns of economic behaviour by applying theory and regulatory perspectives, giving sound explanations in theory and law for positions adopted)

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

To introduce students to key concepts, practices and contemporary debates in law and political economy, and to engage them in close reading and discussion of important authors and texts; To assist students to appreciate the complexities of governing economic behaviour and enable them to apply those insights to current regulatory issues in the market; To enable students critically to discuss and evaluate for themselves the regulation of governance in particular markets and to assess and evaluate prospects for reform

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Discuss and explain the origins and forms of market economy, and the particular demands that these origins and forms create for governance

■ Identify governance issues in contemporary political economy and explain why these issues present particular challenges for governance actors

■ Critically evaluate patterns of economic behaviour by applying theory and regulatory perspectives, giving sound explanations in theory and law for positions adopted

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.