LW201-5-FY-CO:
Tort Law

The details
2023/24
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
30
18 October 2023

 

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

 

(none)

Key module for

LLB M100 Law,
LLB M100CD Law,
LLB M100CS Law,
LLB M100LD Law,
LLB M100MD Law,
LLB M100MS Law,
LLB M100TD Law,
LLB M101 Law (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M107 Law (Including Placement Year),
LLB M120 Law (Including Year Abroad),
MLAWM199 Law,
MLAWMA98 Law (Including Placement Year),
MLAWMA99 Law (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM20 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),
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),
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 30 credit module covers the key topics required for an understanding of English tort law, and complements students’ previous study of other areas of the law of obligations.

Module aims

The module will introduce students to the duty of care and the principles of civil liability for negligence. Students will learn how to apply principles and caselaw in tort to scenarios such as psychiatric harm, economic loss, negligence by omission and the liability of public bodies. The module also covers the principles of vicarious liability.

Later in the module, students will learn about so-called ‘land torts’ and consider the relevant principles of occupiers' liability regimes and how these augment the additional controls of the use of land, found in the principles of nuisance and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher.

Module learning outcomes

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



  1. Understand the duty of care and how a claim in negligence may arise.

  2. Apply the principles of negligence liability in specific duty-based scenarios.

  3. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the policy issues that underpin the imposition of liability.

  4. Show a clear understand of the divisions and borders between the various liability regimes governing the use of land.

  5. Read, understand and critically analyse judicial decisions.

  6. Apply the relevant case-law and principles to appropriate problem scenarios.

Module information

The module will include coverage of the following topics:


Specific Duty Scenarios



  • Occupiers' Liability

  • Nuisance and Rylands

  • Vicarious Liability

  • Economic Loss

  • Psychiatric Harm


Non-standard Duty Scenarios and Further Elements of a Tort



  • Non-standard Duty scenarios (Donoghue to Caparo and beyond)

  • Breach of Duty

  • Causation in Fact

  • Causation in Law

  • Defences, Damages and Remedies

Learning and teaching methods

The module will be delivered by a weekly 2-hour lecture and a weekly 1-hour tutorial.

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   Essay (LW201 Tort Law)    50% 
Practical   Multiple Choice Quizzes - Continuous Assessment (LW201 Tort Law)    50% 
Exam  Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 195 minutes during Summer (Main Period) 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 195 minutes during September (Reassessment Period) 

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 Darren Calley, email: dscall@essex.ac.uk.
Law Education Office, lawugadmin@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
No
No

External examiner

Dr Richard Bowyer
University of Exeter
Senior Lecturer
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 144 hours, 92 (63.9%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
52 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Essex Law School

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