LW104-4-FY-CO:
Criminal Law

The details
2024/25
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 27 June 2025
30
01 July 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

LLB M100 Law,
LLB M100CD Law,
LLB M100CS Law,
LLB M100DE Law,
LLB M100LD Law,
LLB M100MD Law,
LLB M100MS Law,
LLB M100TD Law,
LLB M100TS Law,
LLB M101 Law (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M107 Law (Including Placement Year),
LLB M107DE Law (Including Placement Year),
LLB M120 Law (Including Year Abroad),
MLAWM199 Law,
MLAWMA98 Law (Including Placement Year),
MLAWMA99 Law (Including Year Abroad),
BA MVC5 Philosophy and Law,
BA MVC6 Philosophy and Law (Including Placement Year),
BA MVC8 Philosophy and Law (Including Foundation Year),
BA VM51 Philosophy and Law (Including Year Abroad),
BA VM58 Philosophy and Law (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
LLB MM20 Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM20WS Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM21 Law with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM22 Law with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM30 Law with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MV06 Law with Philosophy (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MV16 Law with Philosophy,
LLB MV18 Law with Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MV19 Law with Philosophy (Including Placement Year),
LLB ML14 Law with Politics (Including Year Abroad),
LLB ML15 Law with Politics (Including Placement Year),
LLB ML16 Law with Politics,
LLB ML26 Law with Politics (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MN00 Law with Business,
LLB MN01 Law with Business (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN02 Law with Business (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN03 Law with Business (Including Foundation Year),
BA LM11 Criminology with Criminal Law,
BA LM12 Criminology with Criminal Law (Including Year Abroad),
BA LM13 Criminology with Criminal Law (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN10 Law with Finance,
LLB MN11 Law with Finance (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN12 Law with Finance (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN13 Law with Finance (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MM00 Law with Criminology,
LLB MM01 Law with Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM02 Law with Criminology (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM03 Law with Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M123 Licence English and French Law (Double Degree),
BA VM10 History and Law,
BA VM11 History and Law (Including Foundation Year),
BA VM12 History and Law (including Placement Year),
BA VM13 History and Law (including Year Abroad),
LLB M1Q3 Law with Literature,
LLB M1Q4 Law with Literature (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1Q5 Law with Literature (Including Placement Year),
LLB M1Q6 Law with Literature (Including Year Abroad),
LLB M1V1 Law with History,
LLB M1V2 Law with History (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1V3 Law with History (Including Placement Year),
LLB M1V4 Law with History (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

This module, which is taught across the academic year, introduces students to the substantive criminal law of England and Wales. This will involve a study of the law governing criminal liability.

Module aims

To introduce and develop understanding of Criminal Law

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module students at level 4 should be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Knowledge and understanding of the legal elements of criminal liability and the major criminal offences and defences
2. An understanding of the criminal law in its wider social, political, and philosophical context
3. An ability to read, understand, and analyse judicial decisions
4. An ability to break down a criminal law statute to its component parts and to interpret the statute
5. An ability to analyse and answer factual problems raising issues of criminal liability, and, in particular, to be able to do the following:Identify the legal issue(s) arisingIdentify and explain the relevant law
6. Engage in legal reasoning and problem-solving by applying the law, using relevant statutes and case-law, to the factual scenarioAppreciate the importance of facts and how they can affect legal analysis
7. An ability to evaluate the criminal law and to present a coherent oral and written argument on that basis
8. Knowledge and understanding of the legal elements of criminal liability and the major criminal offences and defences
9. An understanding of the criminal law in its wider social, political, and philosophical context
10. An ability to read, understand, and analyse judicial decisions
11. An ability to break down a criminal law statute to its component parts and to interpret the statute
12. An ability to analyse and answer factual problems raising issues of criminal liability, and, in particular, to be able to do the following
i) Identify the legal issue(s) arising
ii) Identify and explain the relevant law
iii) Engage in legal reasoning and problem-solving by applying the law, using relevant statutes and case-law, to the factual scenario
iv) Appreciate the importance of facts and how they can affect legal analysis
13. An ability to evaluate the criminal law and to present a coherent oral and written argument on that basis

Module information

Indicative Syllabus:

1. An Introduction to Criminal Law:
-Preliminary matters: Classification, Procedure, the Courts, Sentencing, and Appeals
-Criminal Law Theory
2. The Elements of Crime: Actus Reus
3. The Elements of Crime: Mens Rea
Intention, Recklessness, Negligence
4. Offences Against the Person: Assault & Consent as a defence to Offences Against the Person
5. Homicide
Murder, Voluntary Manslaughter: Loss of Control & Diminished Responsibility, Involuntary Manslaughter: Constructive Manslaughter, Gross Negligence Manslaughter, Reckless Manslaughter
6. Non-Consensual Sexual Offences: Rape, Sexual Assault,
7. Property Offences (Theft)
8. Defences: Incapacity, Infancy, Insanity, Automatism, Mistake, Intoxication
9. Defences: Other General Defences
Duress, Duress of Circumstances, Necessity, Public/Private Defence
10. Inchoate Crimes: Attempt
11. Parties to Crime

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered by a weekly schedule of a one-hour lecture, a one-hour tutorial and one-hour voluntary support class. Additionally, the module requires students to complete MCQs via Moodle, to provide regular feedback, assist in tutorial preparation, and allow teaching staff to identify students with engagement needs. Your tutorials will enable you to discuss the material covered in lectures and the required readings, obtain feedback on your pre-class preparation and deepen your understanding of key concepts.

Bibliography

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Formative Essay (LW104 Criminal Law)    0% 
Coursework   Multiple Choice Questions - Continuous Assessment (LW104 Criminal Law)    25% 
Coursework   Essay (LW104 Criminal Law)    75% 
Exam  Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during Early Exams 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during January 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during September (Reassessment Period) 

Additional coursework information

Assessment will be split as 10% MCQ, 30% CW (essay) and 60% in person restricted materials exam. This will allow students to develop there understanding of the module through continuous feedback

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
40% 60%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
0% 100%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Ebba Lekvall, email: ebba.lekvall@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Ebba Lekvall
The Law Education Admin Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
No
Yes

External examiner

Dr Steven Cammiss
University of Birmingham
Associate Professor
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 26 hours, 4 (15.4%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
22 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Essex Law School

Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements, industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.