Law and Criminal Justice LLB (Hons)

30 credits

This module develops your understanding of the English Legal System (ELS) – courts, procedure and sources of law – in order to make sense of your legal studies.

You will be equipped with a legal methods toolkit, covering skills for research, analysis and writing relevant to your studies and in legal practice.

This module also has a strong emphasis on developing your personal and professional skills. We will help you to build your professional identity and global citizenship, enhancing your understanding of ethical issues, values, design thinking and commercial awareness. You will be guided by your Personal Tutor to plan your own personal and professional development journey and identify your core graduate attributes.

30 credits

The law of contract is the law of legally-enforceable agreements and is at the heart of English common law. It is one of the seven foundations of legal knowledge and invariably forms part of any degree with an overt legal content. It describes the rules which govern commercial activity, allowing businesses and consumers to maintain stable, consistent relationships over time and over distance. The law of contract covers everything from a complex multi-party agreement to construct a stadium, the employment of the cleaners and the star players, as well as the purchase of a hot dog from a stall outside.

30 credits

The module introduces you to the constitutional and administrative law of the United Kingdom through a study of the core constitutional principles present within the UK legal system and the control of executive action by the courts. The module provides an essential introduction to the study of law since the validity of any particular law is a function of a constitutional rule which establishes manner, form and necessary pedigree for what is to qualify as a valid particular or occasional law.

30 credits

Tort can be described as the area of civil law which provides a remedy for a party who has suffered the breach of a protected interest. The module focuses on the wide range of activity to which tort law applies and examines the remedies it provides for many different types of loss or harm. Tort is also one of the foundations of legal knowledge subjects required by the professional bodies as part of a qualifying law degree for those seeking entry to the legal profession.

30 credits

Land law studies the nature of land, the history of the current legislative structure and third party interests in, on and over private land in England and Wales. It introduces the concepts behind ownership and use of private land, considering also how the law operates in the context of freehold and leasehold title, rights of way and squatters' rights.

30 credits

This module studies the general principles of criminal liability, definitions of what constitutes particular crimes and offences, and how that law affects particular circumstances. This involves not only a critical examination of the law, but also, using hypothetical factual situations, an understanding its detailed application. 

30 credits

The European Union's (EU) development has had a significant impact in Europe and globally. Although the UK has left the EU, its law is still relevant not only because it remains part of the applicable law of the UK, but also to understand how the UK now interacts with the EU.

You will develop detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the core areas of EU law, and the relationship between the EU and its member states and the respective role of the Court of Justice of the European Union and national courts in applying EU law.

This module also has a strong focus on developing your employability skills. You will take part in personal development activities designed to strengthen your professional identity and global citizenship, while expanding your knowledge of legal practice in different professional contexts.

30 credits

In this module, you will gain a critical insight into key issues and controversies in the delivery of justice by the principal institutions of the criminal justice system: the police, prison, and probation services. You will explore the historical context in which these institutions developed and examine the main challenges they face in the 21st century.

Debates around policing will be situated within wider discussions of procedural and spatial justice, decolonisation, globalisation, and the role of the police in a diverse society. You will also engage with the prison and offender management services through a critical exploration of both theoretical perspectives and practical realities.

You will consider the logic of punishment and examine the range of penalties available – from fines and community sentences to restorative justice – while reflecting on how justice is conceptualised and delivered (or not delivered) in contemporary society. Particular attention will be paid to the changing place of the victim in criminal justice processes.

Through real-world learning opportunities and authentic assessments, developed in partnership with external organisations, you will connect criminological theory to practice and gain a deeper understanding of how justice is enacted in practice.

30.00 credits

This module examines the idea of conscience in English law. It looks at how, historically, equity developed from the King in order to ameliorate the problems caused by an increasingly inflexible common law, at a time when Parliament met infrequently. The concept of the trust, where ownership is divided between legal and beneficial owners, is examined, including the conscience-inspired constructive trust, and the use of the trust in many contexts, including charity law. The administration of trusts is also considered.

15 credits

This module provides you with a dedicated opportunity to develop your Future Skills Graduate Attributes that will set you apart from other graduates and enhance your employability and confidence. At the start of the module, you will be supported to self-assess your current skills profile and determine which attributes you need to develop to support your career ambitions. 

Taught sessions will give you the opportunity to have coaching conversations with students from across the University, supported and facilitated by the Module team. Outside of these taught sessions, you will engage in activities from a menu of opportunities to develop your Graduate Attributes. 

The menu of opportunities allows you to self-select activities such as hackathons, masterclasses and taster sessions, short online learning courses, and study abroad. In your taught classes with students from across the University, you will be encouraged to reflect on the activities you undertake to develop your graduate attributes and work towards the final assignment, a portfolio.

15 credits

In this module, you’ll explore how the youth justice system in England and Wales operates as a distinct system from the adult criminal justice system. Designed for children and young people aged 10 to 17, this system raises important questions about how society understands and responds to youth offending.

You’ll examine what is meant by 'youth' – both as a life stage and as a social category – and consider how young people are often framed as a 'problem' within policy and media discourse. You’ll explore young people's lived experiences of crime, harm, and justice, and critically reflect on how they are treated by the criminal justice system.

You’ll study the rules, processes, and institutions that respond to youth offending, and engage with the complex and often contradictory discourses of 'care' and 'control' that underpin youth justice policy. From the point of arrest through to sentencing, you’ll learn to analyse the relevant legal framework and apply wider criminological research to real-world issues.

While the focus is on England and Wales, you’ll also consider how youth justice systems operate in other jurisdictions, helping you to develop a comparative and critical perspective on how young people are policed, prosecuted, and supported – or punished – by the state.

30 credits

This module tackles some of the most urgent questions of justice in the modern world. The international criminal law component examines how law seeks to end impunity for the gravest crimes. From Nuremberg to today’s International Criminal Court, students explore how those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression can be brought before justice.

The human rights component takes a problem-based approach to contemporary challenges. We look at pressing issues such as how artificial intelligence shapes our rights and freedoms, alongside more traditional concerns like the prohibition of torture. Special attention is given to the protection of specific groups, including women, migrants, and minorities, and to rights linked to health and socio-economic status.

Students gain practical insight into how individuals and groups can seek redress through international mechanisms,  whether at the United Nations or within regional systems in Europe, Africa and the Americas, while developing critical, analytical, and communication skills required to expand their employability horizons.

30 credits

In this module, you'll explore key debates around crime, harm, and control within a global context. You’ll be encouraged to think critically about the dominance of the Global North in criminological discourse and engage with the call to decolonise criminology.

Through a comparative lens, you'll examine how crime and justice are defined, experienced, and addressed across different nations and regions. You'll explore both the convergences and divergences that emerge globally, developing an understanding of how local and global dimensions of crime are interconnected.

You'll interrogate the concept of global crime and explore its transnational nature by studying a wide range of substantive topics. These may include drug and human trafficking, terrorism and the 'war on terror', violence against women and girls, organised crime, environmental harm, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

30 credits

In this module, you’ll explore the emergence and development of new risks and forms of criminality in the digital age, alongside the evolving responses to them. Drawing on academic theories of risk, algorithmic governance, and anticipatory or predictive policing, you’ll critically examine how crime, danger, and (in)security are perceived and managed in contemporary society.

You’ll investigate a growing range of online risks, crimes and harms, including cyberbullying and harassment, sextortion, revenge porn, online dating scams, catfishing, fraud, hacking, and identity theft. You’ll also analyse how these crimes are policed, prevented, and punished, and consider the tools – such as surveillance technologies and data-driven policing – that are reshaping approaches to public protection, offender pursuit, and crime investigation.

Through this exploration, you’ll gain insight into how risk has become central to the management of crime control in a digital and data-driven society. The module encourages you to consider the broader societal impact of these developments on individuals, communities, and institutions.

By the end of the module, you’ll have developed a critical understanding of the complex intersections between victimisation, vulnerability, and the social narratives that frame digital crime and justice in the 21st century.

30 credits

This module provides you with the opportunity to study a specific area of law in depth over two teaching blocks and independently develop your own specialism through a research project. You will undertake a focused study in an area of law of your choosing.

If you are studying LLB Law, you will have the option of undertaking either a law reform project or a dissertation. If you are studying LLB International Law or LLB Law and Criminal Justice, you will undertake a dissertation focusing on international law or criminal justice-related issues respectively.

The module gives you the opportunity to apply and develop your legal research skills across a range of topics that you may not have explored in depth in your other modules. Throughout your research project, you will be supported by an academic supervisor.