Module Directory

This module builds on Foundations of Public Law by offering a more advanced, in-depth look at a range of important areas of public law. The research-led teaching for this module provides insights into several areas of public law that are not always available in the standard texts on the subject, and is designed to enable detailed consideration of important issues that are the subject of research within Essex Law School.

With this in mind, the topics on the syllabus will be approached flexibly and may be adjusted from year to year. Topics examined in previous years have included the territorial and legal history of the UK constitution; the imperial history and context of the rule of law; the UK's withdrawal from the EU and the Northern Ireland Protocol; the place of foreign affairs in the UK constitution; and the theoretical and practical aspects of the making of a written constitution

The aim of this module is:

• To examine in depth some of the key current issues in Public Law.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to demonstrate:

1. An in-depth understanding of several areas of public law


2. A critical understanding of the past, present, and future of the UK constitution


3. An ability to identify and use a variety of primary and secondary source materials


4. An ability to carry out and reflect on the process of undertaking a small-scale research project with guidance

This module builds on LW103 Foundations of Public Law. Because of the focus on current issues, the topics on the syllabus will be approached flexibly and may be adjusted from year to year.

There are two versions of this module. It is important you know which one you are enrolled in as the learning outcomes and assessment differ, as explained below.

The reading, lectures and seminars are the same for both versions.

This module will be delivered via a mixture of weekly live webinars, pre-recorded videos, and tutorials.

Each week the module teaching team will first produce and make available on Moodle two 25-minute pre-recorded video lectures. The module teaching team will then deliver a weekly live 50-minute webinar in which they further explore key legal concepts and answer your questions about the topics. These lectures and webinars will subsequently be available online through Moodle so that you can re-watch them as part of your independent study. Alongside this, there will be five bi-weekly 50-minute small group tutorials.

The module teaching team will also produce and make available on Moodle short guidance notes. These notes will introduce the material to be covered in the lectures, webinars and required readings. The notes will also contain tips designed both to help you navigate the material to be covered in the lectures and webinars and to equip you to analyse the required readings.

You will be expected to have completed the required readings in advance of your tutorials. Your tutorials will enable you to discuss the material covered in lectures, webinars and the required readings, obtain feedback on your pre-class preparation and deepen your understanding of key concepts.

To help you prepare in the best possible way for your tutorials, you will be completing regular Multiple-Choice Quizzes on Moodle. The quizzes will be based on the reading set for that week so that the quiz forms part of your preparation for each tutorial. The quizzes will enable you to track your progress, understand what you are doing well, and give you clear feedback to help you manage your studies and your progress.

• Bradley, A. W.; Ewing, K. D.; Knight, Christopher. (2018) Constitutional and administrative law, Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson.
• (2019) The Changing Constitution, Oxford: Oxford University Press.