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.

Administrative Law LAW4052

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Law
  • Credits: 30
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Runs Throughout Semesters 1 and 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Available to Erasmus Students: No

Short Description

Administrative Law is a course covering general issues in administrative law. It builds on the material covered in Law and Government, and provides useful background to other courses involving specific administrative functions. It also provides a useful complement to Constitutional Law.

Timetable

9 am - 11 am on Thursdays in Semesters 1 and 2.

Requirements of Entry

The prerequisites for entry are that students will normally require to have achieved at least a grade C1 in Law and Government (normally at the first attempt). The class size will not exceed 20. If oversubscribed, places will be allocated according to performance in Law and Government.

Assessment

(a) One written assignment of 2500 words (25% of marks); (b) one three hour unseen degree examination (75% of marks).

Main Assessment In: April/May

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

Students should already have acquired a good basic understanding of the principles of administrative law, and should also be skilled at handling the materials of administrative law. The Honours course does not attempt to repeat training in these matters. Rather it aims:

1. To make students familiar with the current debates about the nature of administrative law and its contribution to establishing accountable government;

2. To enable students to assess critically the nature of these debates and the key positions in them;

3. To consider the practical implications of the differing positions taken in these debates;

4. To assess the role of material from other jurisdictions as a source of understanding and criticism of the British experience;

5. To consider selectively the contribution to understanding administrative law offered by other disciplines such as politics and economics.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

The general learning outcomes of the course will be as follows:

1. Students should be familiar with, and capable of analysing and participating in, the major debates on the role of administrative law and its contribution to accountable government;

2. Students should be able to handle comparative material from different jurisdictions so as to develop understanding of the role of administrative law in the United Kingdom;

3. Students should have a general understanding of the potential of selected disciplines other than law in developing critique of the role of administrative law;

4. Students should have expanded and deepened their knowledge and understanding of administrative law doctrine, and the institutions of administrative law.

5. Students should be able to solve complex problems in administrative law.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Completion of (a) the formative written assessment; (b) the summative written assignment; (c) the three hour unseen degree examination; and (d) any oral presentation required by the course convenor, and any group exercise (see preceding section).