International Relations and Legal Studies, _MA

Compulsory Courses

Academic Writing for Social Sciences (AW1006)

This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve. It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it. If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.

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Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)

This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students and articulating students who are in their first year at the University, is studied entirely online, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.

Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.

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Legal System (LS1025)

15 Credit Points

This course introduces the fundamental components and characteristics of the Scottish legal system. It includes a study skills programme which covers different facets of the study of law along with a series of practical workshops which introduce key legal information sources (both electronic and paper) and appropriate search strategies. Lectures and tutorials will cover topics such as the Scottish legal tradition, formal sources of Scots law, the legislative process, organisation of the courts, judicial precedent, civil procedure, alternative dispute resolution, the European legal order, legal services and access to justice.

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Foundations of Private Law (LS1022)

15 Credit Points

The course provides firstly a map of private law as drawn from the institutional scheme. It then progresses to an equivalent of the medical student’s study of anatomy in the sense that, concentrating on the law of property and obligations, it examines the main concepts of private law and how they operate together as a system to solve everyday legal problems.

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Politics & International Relations 1: Democracy and Governance (PI1018)

15 Credit Points

Politics and International Relations impacts on all parts of our lives, with more specifically it being the study of ideas, events, institutions and choice. Studying these provides us with both knowledge of the world and also how it operates and functions. It also changes our perception of our surroundings and makes us aware of an ever changing global context. This course will introduce students to concepts and ideas that form the basis for the study of these disciplines while simultaneously also helping us understand our own place within a global context.

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Politics & International Relations 2: Power and Conflict (PI1518)

15 Credit Points

Politics is the study of multiple forms of power than impacts our lives and the world we live in. It shapes how people and groups cooperate or clash with each other. In this course, we will the ideas, institutions, complex histories, global dynamics, and systems that shape politics and international relations. Students will learn key concepts and theories of the discipline, and develop their skills in understanding and analysing global politics.

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Optional Courses

Plus 30 credit points from non-LS courses of choice.

Plus 30 credit points from the following courses:

Criminal Law (LS1020)

15 Credit Points

This course is a compulsory course on the LLB degree introducing students to Scottish Criminal Law including its sources and current law. It examines various aspects of substantive law including crimes against the person, crimes of dishonesty, crimes against property and criminal defences enabling students to understand and apply the law in these areas. The course also develops student’s written, verbal and analytical skills utilising written course work and problem solving exercises in tutorial groups.

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Contract (LS1520)

15 Credit Points

Contract is one of the central subjects of private law and is one of the main branches of the law of obligations, the other being Delict and Unjustified Enrichment. Contract Law covers obligations which are voluntary in nature. Every day we make contracts from buying a newspaper to buying a house. Contract Law is an area where Scots law and English law are very similar, and this course will cover Scots contract law but also highlight where English law differs with the aim of giving students a working knowledge of contract in both countries.

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Delict and Unjustified Enrichment (LS1536)

15 Credit Points

This course introduces students to two of the key branches of the Scots law of obligations, namely delict (which governs legal liability for situations such as the negligent infliction of harm upon others and defamation) and unjustified enrichment (which is concerned with questions such as, if I pay you money in error, am I entitled to demand that you return it?).

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UK Constitutional Law (LS1537)

15 Credit Points

This course is an introduction to the laws and rules of the UK Constitution. Major topics include the institutions of state, parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and devolution. This area of law is fast-moving, and an effort is made to address current issues.

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Foundations of Common Law with English Criminal Law (LS1533)

15 Credit Points

The common law tradition is one of the major legal traditions of the world. This course briefly introduces students to the conceptual and institutional structures of the common law tradition. This in turn introduces the fundamentals of the modern English legal system and its practical operation. A large section of the course then turns to the practical operation of English law through study of English Criminal Law.

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A World Full of Law: Legal Cultures Before the Age of Exploration (LS1030)

15 Credit Points

This course presents legal history over several millennia and from many different original cultures. This course carries the student through a legal adventure, exploring a wide range of legal systems around the globe and throughout human history.

The course covers the origins of law from Africa, South Asia, East Asia and beyond. From those beginnings, it traces how legal cultures emerged, evolved, or transformed. The course will explore the interplay of law and religion over the centuries. The goal of the course is to enable students to become aware of the wonderful diversity of legal systems before the Era of Exploration.

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Compulsory Courses

Ideas and Ideologies in Politics and International Relations (PI2009)

30 Credit Points

Ideas and ideologies are core to teaching, learning and research in Politics and International Relations. Theoretical developments are at the forefront of academic debates within the discipline, demonstrated by the appearance of a number of new approaches as more traditional theories have struggled to account for an ever changing world. This course will introduce students to these with profound questions and struggles over identity, belonging, justice and rights underpinning these theoretical debates.

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Global Politics: Equality and Inequality (PI2508)

30 Credit Points

Equality and inequality are at the forefront of many debates within contemporary Politics and International Relations. This course will examine the historical context, theoretical underpinnings, and also key concepts which continue to uphold equality and inequality on a global scale.

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Optional Courses

Plus 60 credit points from the following courses:

Criminal Law (LS1020)

15 Credit Points

This course is a compulsory course on the LLB degree introducing students to Scottish Criminal Law including its sources and current law. It examines various aspects of substantive law including crimes against the person, crimes of dishonesty, crimes against property and criminal defences enabling students to understand and apply the law in these areas. The course also develops student’s written, verbal and analytical skills utilising written course work and problem solving exercises in tutorial groups.

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Eu Institutions and Law (LS2026)

15 Credit Points

This course examines the law of the European Union and its relationship with the legal systems of the United Kingdom. Lecture topics include the composition and function of the EU Institutions, sources and effects of EU Law, state liability and judicial review. Other topics covered include human rights in the EU, the fundamental freedoms, and competition law. Each lecture topic includes consideration of the evolving relationship between the legal systems of the United Kingdom and the European Union.

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The Law of Property (LS2031)

15 Credit Points

This compulsory LLB course is all about things. What items can you own? How do you become owner of property? What can you do as an owner of property? What can you do with the property of other people? And so on. An understanding of Scots property law is crucial to markets, commerce and domestic life. This course will give students a broad overview of the regulation of land, moveable items and incorporeal rights like intellectual property in Scotland.

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Public International Law (LS2032)

15 Credit Points

The course aims to systematically and critically introduce the foundations of Public International Law (PIL). The history, nature, legal personality, statehood and recognition, sources, the law of treaties and how PIL interacts with domestic law are considered in-depth. These are followed by topics such as jurisdiction, sovereignty, the role of the United Nations, the law of state responsibility and peaceful settlement of disputes between states. The contents of the course are designed to enable students to understand why and how international law regulates the behaviour of its actors with respect to some specific subject areas.

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Administrative Law and Civil Liberties (LS2033)

15 Credit Points

This course will examine in detail both administrative law and civil liberties under the constitution of the United Kingdom. Major topics include judicial review (scope, standing and grounds), the European Convention on Human Rights, the Human Rights Act 1998, voting rights, and common law rights. This area is fast-moving, and an effort is made to address current issues.

Detailed course information

Contract (LS1520)

15 Credit Points

Contract is one of the central subjects of private law and is one of the main branches of the law of obligations, the other being Delict and Unjustified Enrichment. Contract Law covers obligations which are voluntary in nature. Every day we make contracts from buying a newspaper to buying a house. Contract Law is an area where Scots law and English law are very similar, and this course will cover Scots contract law but also highlight where English law differs with the aim of giving students a working knowledge of contract in both countries.

Detailed course information

Delict and Unjustified Enrichment (LS1536)

15 Credit Points

This course introduces students to two of the key branches of the Scots law of obligations, namely delict (which governs legal liability for situations such as the negligent infliction of harm upon others and defamation) and unjustified enrichment (which is concerned with questions such as, if I pay you money in error, am I entitled to demand that you return it?).

Detailed course information

UK Constitutional Law (LS1537)

15 Credit Points

This course is an introduction to the laws and rules of the UK Constitution. Major topics include the institutions of state, parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and devolution. This area of law is fast-moving, and an effort is made to address current issues.

Detailed course information

Commercial Organisations and Insolvency (LS2525)

15 Credit Points

This course is compulsory for LLB students. It consists of various elements split broadly into three parts: (1) the law of agency and the law of partnership; (2) company law; and (3) debt and insolvency law. The lectures will focus on the creation of agency, partnership and companies of different types; the rules that enable these commercial organisations to function; and the law concerning the termination of these commercial organisations, particularly due to insolvency.

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Family Law (LS2526)

15 Credit Points

Family Law is a compulsory course for LLB students During this course, students will be introduced to the key facets of the law governing the formation of adult relationships, including the constitution of marriage and civil partnership, legal rights and duties of spouses and civil partners, same sex marriage, the grounds for divorce and the financial aspects of breakdown of marriage and relationships of cohabitation. This course also focuses on the relationship between children and adults and the legal rights of children, including parental rights and responsibilities, court orders relating to children and the welfare principle.

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Introduction to Legal Theory (LS2527)

7.5 Credit Points

The course provides students with an introduction to some of the topical issues of legal theory combining theoretical discussion with practical examples. The course aims to give students an accessible introduction to some important theoretical concepts and help them to develop their skills in critical thinking. The modular structure of the course makes sure that students will be exposed to a wide range of theoretical concepts and approaches. Theoretical concepts will be discussed in the context of practical issues helping students to see the relevance of those concepts. The course consists of four modules and each module consists of three lectures and one tutorial. At present, the four modules are as follows: (Judicial decision-making, Feminist legal theory, Law and technology, Truth in law and science.)

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Succession and Trusts (LS2528)

7.5 Credit Points

Students studying for the Aberdeen LLB are required to take this course if they wish to use their degree to enter the Scottish legal profession. The course will examine both testate and intestate succession, in the context of the general principles of the law of succession, including legal rights. Furthermore, it will introduce the functions of trusts, the rights of beneficiaries and the powers and duties of trustees. The course is available only to LLB students in Programme year 2 or above and graduates on the 2 year degree.

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Private International Law (LS2532)

15 Credit Points

This course introduces the student to the three core questions of Private International Law:

1) Jurisdiction: when do the Scottish courts have jurisdiction over a dispute that has one or more cross-border elements?

2) Applicable law: which country’s law is applicable to cross-border legal relations and disputes?

3) Recognition and enforcement of judgments: what are the effects of foreign judgments in Scotland?

Throughout the course, students will develop an understanding of how Scots Private International Law deals with legal relations that are not exclusively contained within Scotland. It helps students develop a skillset that will enable them to resolve the questions that arise due to a legal relation or dispute having a cross-border element.

Moreover, the course enables students to appreciate the role Private International Law plays in a broad swath of scenarios, ranging from litigation involving the civil liability of Scottish corporations for wrongdoings committed overseas (such as violations of labour standards), to consumer protection disputes, international child abduction cases, and cross-border inheritance, to give but a few examples.

This is an exempting course for the Faculty of Advocates exam on Private International Law.

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Business Law (LS2533)

15 Credit Points

This course is designed to provide non-LLB students with an understanding of the main issues in business law. Topics will cover elements of the Scottish law and legal system concerning Company Law, Partnership, Employment Law, Agency, Contract Law, Delict, Bribery Act and Intellectual Property Law.

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Introduction to Comparative Law (LS2536)

7.5 Credit Points

This foundational course introduces students to the basic ideas, themes and insights of comparative law. The first part of the course focuses on the various concepts and methods that legal and other scholars have used to analyse differences and similarities between legal rules across nations and cultures. It also introduces students to various efforts to map and explain legal diversity across the globe (legal families and traditions, including the civil, common, mixed and other traditions). The second half of the course includes a range of case studies to showcase how the comparative method can be used in different areas of the law and across nations and regions.

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Tort in A Comparative Context (LS2537)

7.5 Credit Points

The aim of this course, open to students who have already studied the Scots law of delict (and compulsory for those on the ‘Law with English Law’ programme), is to extend their knowledge of the law governing civil liability. More particularly, it aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the conceptual structure of the English law of torts in comparison with the corresponding branch of Scots law, and deals in detail with a few specific areas of tort liability, such as trespass, occupiers’ liability and nuisance.

Detailed course information

Foundations of Common Law with English Criminal Law (LS1533)

15 Credit Points

The common law tradition is one of the major legal traditions of the world. This course briefly introduces students to the conceptual and institutional structures of the common law tradition. This in turn introduces the fundamentals of the modern English legal system and its practical operation. A large section of the course then turns to the practical operation of English law through study of English Criminal Law.

Detailed course information

A World Full of Law: Legal Cultures Before the Age of Exploration (LS1030)

15 Credit Points

This course presents legal history over several millennia and from many different original cultures. This course carries the student through a legal adventure, exploring a wide range of legal systems around the globe and throughout human history.

The course covers the origins of law from Africa, South Asia, East Asia and beyond. From those beginnings, it traces how legal cultures emerged, evolved, or transformed. The course will explore the interplay of law and religion over the centuries. The goal of the course is to enable students to become aware of the wonderful diversity of legal systems before the Era of Exploration.

Detailed course information

Compulsory Courses

Researching Into the 21st Century (PI3069)

Optional Courses

Plus 60 credit points from Legal Studies LX Honours:

Contemporary Issues in Energy Law (LX403Q)

Law and Medical Ethics (LX4553)

Administrative Law (Honours) (LX4557)

Media Law (Honours) (LX4561)

The Use of Force in International Law (LX4584)

Law of Sales Honours (LX4011)

30 Credit Points

This course examines the law of sales in both a Scottish and international context. Seminar topics will give students a good working knowledge of issues that occur when a difficulty arises (e.g., non-conformity of goods, passing of risk, damages, exemption, avoidance) and the role of important European law as well as international treaties and conventions. The precise focus of the course varies from year to year and depending on the teaching staff involved there may be a greater or lesser focus on Scots law, and in some instances, the students will be asked to analyse and compare the legal solutions in English law as well.

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Criminal Justice (LX4019)

30 Credit Points

This course looks in depth at the main aspects of the Scottish criminal justice process, focussing upon its mainly adversarial nature. Topics addressed include: prosecution systems; the position of the accused; the status of the victim; plea-bargaining; the trial process; and appeals. The emphasis is not so much on ‘black-letter law’ but on the principles and policies, often clashing, which underlie the detailed legal rules and regulations governing the relevant institutions and processes.

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Gender, Law and Society (LX401E)

30 Credit Points

The issue of how gender impacts upon and interrelates with law and legal processes is topical and socially important, with questions relating to gender equality and gender-based violence currently attracting a high degree of academic, media and government attention. Through examining topics connected to the themes of criminal justice and family law, this course will introduce students to current legal dilemmas and legal responses in the area of gender and the law, in addition to sociolegal and feminist approaches to law.

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Intellectual Property Law (LX401L)

30 Credit Points

The course explores patents (right to control an invention) and trade marks (right to control the use of a sign, commonly, but not necessarily, a logo). We will consider theoretical arguments for and against them, thresholds which must be met for them to exist and be infringed, the relevant international, regional and UK frameworks and limits on the rights conferred. Particular attention will be paid to contemporary controversies. We will also consider the various avenues by which these registered rights can be obtained and the relevance of other legal fields to the power conferred. Assessment is by essay and MCT exam. The course has a strong focus on advanced preparation and enjoyable, supportive and interactive discussion.

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International Human Rights (LX401P)

30 Credit Points

The course is intended to offer insights into the dynamics of the development of international human rights law. It provides advanced instruction in several key aspects of international human rights law (freedom from torture, freedom of religion, social rights, right to self-determination, etc.) in order to develop a critical understanding of the protection of human rights at the global level. It also seeks to shed light on the way the forces of globalisation and global civil society activism shape the conditions under which human rights law can be created and maintained.

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American Constitutional Law (LX4021)

30 Credit Points

The aim of this course is to introduce students to American constitutional law through the study of landmark Supreme Court decisions on controversial moral issues. The material on the course will be organised in relation to broad themes that will enable students to develop and refine their understanding of major issues in American Constitutional Law. The themes include abortion; homosexuality and same-sex marriage; freedom of religion; affirmative action. The course will also help students to familiarise themselves with the main approaches to constitutional interpretation.

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Company Law (Honours) (LX402F)

30 Credit Points

This course seeks to guide students through the core aspects of company law and corporate governance including, inter alia, corporate legal personality, directors’ duties, the protection of minority shareholders, and the basics of corporate finance. The legal study will be combined with commercial and strategical scenarios such as private equity deals, initial public offerings (IPOs), and corporate control battles. Major policy debates will also be engaged. There are numerous career opportunities associated with this course

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Civil Law Honours (LX402G)

30 Credit Points

This course offers an introduction to study of the civil law tradition and may be taken by students with no prior knowledge of the subject. The two seminars in the first part of the course examine the sources and literature through which the tradition has taken shape. The two seminars in the second part examine selected topics from the law of property, and the two seminars in the third part selected topics from the law of obligations. In each part some attention is paid to the relationship between Scots law and the civil law tradition.

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Privacy and Data Protection Law (LX402Q)

30 Credit Points

The course aims to introduce students to the core aspects of privacy and data protection law, exploring its international, European, and national dimension.

The course addresses, in particular, the role of data privacy regulation in the digital environment, critically discussing key global challenges, such as: international data transfers; artificial intelligence and its impact on data subject’s rights; the balance between the right to data protection and other fundamental freedoms (e.g. freedom of expression)

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Law and Artificial Intelligence (LX402T)

30 Credit Points

The course aims to introduce students to the legal challenges raised by Artificial Intelligence. It aims at offering an overview of the applicable legal framework, critically discussing its potential shortcomings in concrete case scenarios. The course will focus on the UK context, but – given the cross-border nature of the topics involved - it will be open to a comparative perspective.

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Law and Economics: Selected Topics (LX402V)

30 Credit Points

This course invites students to engage with the law from an economic perspective. Why and when should property be privately, communally, or publicly owned? How can a legal system minimise the social costs of accidents? Why and to what extent do we need to regulate contracts? These are some of the questions that the course will address. Each seminar will focus on a legal topic that will be analysed through an economic lens. No prior knowledge of economics is needed.

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Delict (LX402X)

30 Credit Points

This course builds upon the introduction to Delict provided in LS2025 and LS1536 examines a number of aspects of the law of delict in greater detail. Topics will be discussed in a comparative, historical and/or theoretical context. The specific topics covered will vary on a year-by-year basis as the course aims to examine issues of topical interest. Some of the topics covered in previous years include: causation; product liability; liability for breach of privacy; liability for pure economic loss; psychiatric injury; advocates' immunity and the liability of the police for negligently-conducted investigations.

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Criminal Law (LX4035)

30 Credit Points

The course builds upon the basic understanding of criminal law acquired in LS1020 although it is very important to understand that the topics are approached from a much more theoretical perspective. The course examines in detail selected principles of criminal liability, including the role and limits of the criminal law, the defence of mental disorder, murder, rape, provocation and the limits of excusability. Comparative material from a variety of jurisdictions is included.

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Animal Welfare Law (LX4039)

30 Credit Points

This course examines the way in which the law regulates the treatment of animals in Britain. Topics include: historical development; legal and moral status of animals; the basis and nature of regulation; the legal and political framework, including the impact of the WTO and the EU; the legal meaning of unnecessary suffering; the scientific concept of animal welfare; enforcement; and legislation relating to animals in specific contexts. Consideration is also given to relevant political, scientific, ethical and commercial issues which influence the substantive law. Students are expected to undertake significant personal research under the guidance of the course coordinator.

While self-evident from the Course Description, students should be aware that this course includes consideration of the ill-treatment of animals.

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International Criminal Law (LX403C)

30 Credit Points

This course offers students the opportunity to engage with the history and nature of international criminal law, to develop their understanding of the core crimes, how these offences have evolved, and the road to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Through traditional seminar discussions, students can discuss their informed views on issues as varied as the role of international cooperation to suppress international crimes, how this has worked (and where it has failed) and to research their ideas on contemporary problems in the area, from a critical perspective.

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International Law of the Sea (LX403D)

30 Credit Points

The ocean provides us with oxygen, freshwater and food and is crucial for sustaining life yet is under increasing pressure from human activities. These include including climate change, overfishing, pollution, and potentially deep-seabed mineral exploitation. This course focuses on the international legal framework for the ocean, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other legal instruments.

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Free Speech Honours (LX403L)

30 Credit Points

This course engages with the overarching question of the appropriate limits on freedom of expression in liberal democracies in the digital age. It does so through a comparative constitutional approach to the regulation of extreme speech in different jurisdictions, including the US, Canada, the EU, and the UK (among others), with a particular focus on the regulation of online speech. It examines existing constitutional frameworks for the regulation of extreme speech as well as proposals for reform.

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The Legal Architecture of Global Commerce (LX403N)

30 Credit Points

This course examines the legal dimensions of sustainable and equitable global commerce. The course introduces students to varying conceptions of development, ranging from economic development to sustainable and human development, while situating development within the legacy of colonialism and the ensuing barriers to development. Students then focus in on the role of trade in promoting development and legal drivers of sustainable and equitable trade, including responsible business conduct, mandatory human rights diligence, model contract clauses, and business and human rights litigation.

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Copyright and Allied Rights (LX451K)

30 Credit Points

This course considers various aspects of copyright law including subject matter, the term of protection, criteria for protection, infringement and defences, and the moral rights of authors. Copyright is of importance given the value of the digital economy and the significance of the cultural industries. In terms of career opportunities, students may practice in large intellectual property firms or provide advice to large entertainment companies etc.

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Voluntary Scotland, Scottish Charities, Clubs, Community Organisations (LX451P)

30 Credit Points

Many students will be members of clubs and societies and will go on to become board members for clubs and charities, or community organisation chairpersons and secretaries.

The aim of this course is to ensure that potential future practising lawyers can develop a good grounding in a commercially and socially important field of law. In this respect it worth noting that the Third Sector is a growing area of specialism in law firms.

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International Family Law (Honours) (LX451T)

30 Credit Points

The course will provide a clear overview of the successful family law conventions made at the Hague Conference on Private International Law, as well as an analysis of the working methods of the Hague Conference in making, reviewing and helping to ensure uniform interpretation of Conventions. Students will acquire a thorough knowledge of the Hague Conventions on child abduction (1980), intercountry adoption (1993), child protection (1996) and maintenance (2007); a good understanding of private international law relating to surrogacy with an international element, and an appreciation of the options for the legal regulation of family agreements at the global level.

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Criminal Evidence (Honours) (LX451V)

30 Credit Points

The course seminars will engage students with; understanding the rules of evidence and the regulation of the admissibility of evidence; the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial; issues surrounding evidence from vulnerable witnesses; issues with expert evidence; hearsay evidence and the reverse burdens of proof; corroboration and similar fact evidence.

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Corporate Governance (LX452C)

30 Credit Points

This course will discuss the trajectory of the development of corporate governance over the past three decades, especially in the UK and the US, with a view to understanding the extent to which underlying theoretical assumptions and policy decisions impact legislative, regulatory and self-regulatory arrangements as well as reform options. Students will gain an understanding of why the company as a legal entity has the shape and form that it does; why certain actors are regarded as internal to corporate governance arrangements and others external; and why ongoing (and sometimes apparently futile) reform efforts take the form that they do.

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Children, Young People and Crime Honours (LX452K)

30 Credit Points

This course examines the way in which children and young people interact with the justice system, from a domestic, comparative, and international perspective.

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International Cybersecurity Law (LX452L)

30 Credit Points

The course addresses international legal issues raised by the increasing need to secure information and communication technology. It explores the modalities of international cyberattacks; discusses data protection in the EU and UK; questions the scope of the obligation of States to secure cyberspace; studies the role of private companies in monitoring online content and reacting to international cyberattacks; analyses how cyberoperations can be attributed to States; examines what cyberoperations violate international law and how States could react to unlawful international cyberoperations; and gives a comprehensive map of the governance and standards organisations in the cyberspace ecosystem.

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Regulation of Biometric Data and Profiling: Social, Ethical and Legal (LX452M)

30 Credit Points

The course examines the regulation of biometric data and profiling in the European Union and the United Kingdom, focusing on striking a balance between technological development and regulatory processes. It begins with an in-depth exploration of biometrics and profiling within the legal framework of data protection and anti-discrimination laws, particularly the EU GDPR and the EU AI Act, and applies a comparative method to analyse the 2018 Data Protection Act (DPA). The course also addresses the ethical, social, and human rights aspects of biometric technology, aiming to foster innovative legal thinking to resolve the "privacy paradox."

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Law of the Digital Economy (LX452U)

30 Credit Points

The course aims to introduce students to the legal aspects of the digital economy. The course will first explore the historical and economical dimension of the ‘platformisation’ of the digital market, to then dig into the relevant areas of law invested by the “disruptive” intervention of online platforms. The course will have a focus on domestic and European Law.

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Space Law: Public International Law (LX452W)

30 Credit Points

This course addresses the international legal rules and principles applicable to activities in outer space, including the UN-based space treaties and international customary (space) law, and also the many specialised regimes such as those applicable to the protection of the outer space environment, the regulation of military activities and the peaceful settlement of international space law disputes.

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Legal Storytelling (LX452Z)

30 Credit Points

Storytelling is firmly embedded within the law. Advocates use narrative techniques to present their clients’ stories and to evoke responses from audiences. Histories of our laws and legal institutions are taught to us from an early age. But who has the power to decide which stories get told? Which stories are ignored, forgotten, or marginalised?

The aim of the course is to critically examine the use of legal storytelling in scholarship and practice. Through close readings of texts and other media, it will encourage students to reflect on how legal stories are created and challenged.

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Shipping Law (LX453F)

30 Credit Points

The majority of commercial goods are carried by sea. This course examines the law concerning the carriage of those goods by sea in terms of: a) the operation of ships by charterparty; b) the allocation of liabilities between the shipper, carrier, charterer /shipowner for goods carried under a bill of lading (or similar document); and c) the practical operation of a marine cargo claim under the main international carriage of goods by sea conventions.

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Fundamental Issues in Environmental Law (LX453H)

30 Credit Points

The impact of human activity on the environment is indisputable, prompting governments to adopt measures aimed at halting and reversing environmental degradation. This course explores the causes of environmental degradation and how the law is responding to these problems. It introduces the principles of environmental law and their application and effectiveness in protecting the environment. It also considers some of the legal regimes established to address issues such as biodiversity loss, air pollution, land degradation, chemical and plastic pollution, and climate change.

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Principles of Tax Law (LX453J)

30 Credit Points

This course introduces students to the basic frameworks, principles, and skills related to tax law. It will also engage students with cutting-edge legal and policy issues in this field. While the primary focus of the course will be on the UK tax system, a comparative and international perspective will also be engaged. The course targets both students aiming to become tax lawyers and those seeking to enhance their tax knowledge and skills as general commercial lawyers.

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Property Law (Honours) (LX453K)

30 Credit Points

This course examines some key aspects of the Scots law of property. We shall build on many of the topics covered at pre-honours level. This subject draws upon a diverse range of sources and a long history. Topics will vary from one year to the next but may include original and derivative acquisition, real securities, title conditions, co-ownership and tenements, land reform and human rights issues in the law of property.

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Scottish Legal History (Honours) (LX453M)

30 Credit Points

This course provides students with a knowledge and understanding of certain key points in Scottish legal history. Seminar topics have been chosen to show students how to evaluate primary material as well as to engage with academic debate. Students will also in some seminars engage with research projects based at Aberdeen.

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Human Rights Law in the UK (LX453P)

30 Credit Points

This constitutional law course considers how core political freedoms are protected by human rights law in the UK. The course takes the form of seminar discussion, based on prescribed reading, of civil liberties such as freedom of expression; freedom of thought; freedom to protest; and the right to vote. Students are encouraged to reflect critically on how the law guarantees those rights. The broader context of class discussion includes the relationship between the law of the ECHR and domestic law on human rights; and the balance of power between courts, Parliament and government to determine the scope of civil liberties.

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Optional Courses

EITHER:

One Term 2 level 4 Politics and International Relations course:
Comparative Constitutional Systems (AT4557)
Extreme Right in Western Europe (PI4560)
Maritime Security (IR4535)
Political Islam: Islamist Ideologies and Practices (PI4573)
International Migration and Europe (PI4579)
Gender and Politics (PI4584)
Northern Ireland: Small, Dirty War (PI4588)
Corruption and Good Governance (PI4589)
US Presidents (PI4590)

Plus further credit points from level 4 courses in Legal Studies to gain a total of 60 credit points in the discipline

OR:

Dissertation (LX4025)

Plus 30 further credit points from level 4 courses in Legal Studies

Plus one Term 2 level 4 Politics and International Relations course

Dissertation (IR4031)

30 Credit Points

This course affords students the opportunity to apply their knowledge/research skills in the field of Politics & International Relations to an individual piece of research, focusing on a topic selected by the student and approved by the Dissertation supervisor. Over the course of the project, with guidance from a supervising member of staff, the student will conduct a literature review of relevant material, select appropriate research methods, gather data where necessary, analyse data, and write a final analysis in the form of the Dissertation. Particular emphasis will be given to helping students develop their own skills.

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Comparative Constitutional Systems (AT4557)

30 Credit Points

This course will examine anthropological theories of the state, political organization and violence. Through an analysis of both modern and historical case studies from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, we will critically examine theories of state of modern and non-modern state formation and organisation, and the nexus of religion and colonial history. In the second half of the course, particular attention will we paid to the ethnography of violence as a mode of state and proto-state political action.

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Maritime Security (IR4535)

30 Credit Points

This course introduces maritime security as an essential element of national security. It enables students to understand and analyse contemporary national and international security from the vantage point of the oceans, seas, and rivers. It covers global maritime geography, seapower, maritime strategy, and contemporary national and international security threats in or from the maritime domain.

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Political Islam: Islamist Ideologies and Practices (PI4573)

30 Credit Points

Taking a historical approach, the course will trace the key events that have led to current Political Islam (Islamism) concentrating on the ideology and practice of various movements and groups. It will explore contemporary constructs of identity and political arrangements within Islamism and encourage critical analysis and independent thought in relation to the challenges Islamist poses to existing theoretical paradigms. Areas to be explored will include: the political construct of early Islam, the Sunni/Shia divide, key ideologues, and contemporary movements such as the Muslim Brothers, Hamas and Hizbullah.

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International Migration and Europe (PI4579)

30 Credit Points

International Migration has recently gained increased academic and policy interest. This course, while introducing the main analytical concepts concerning migration, addresses the policy dimension in the European context. Additionally the course will assist students in becoming active citizens in an ever changing world.

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Gender and Politics (PI4584)

30 Credit Points

This course introduces students to key ideas utilised in the analysis of gender and politics. It engages students with scholarship from the fields of Political Science and International Relations, offering an in-depth analysis of cases ranging from the racial politics of the #MeToo campaign to discussion of gender quotas, the politics of gendered labour, body and emotions, the causes and implications of gendered violence, political apologies and peace.

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Northern Ireland: Small, Dirty War (PI4588)

30 Credit Points

This course investigates claims that the British state and its security forces, and Republican and Loyalist paramilitary organisations, were engaged in a ‘dirty war’ in Northern Ireland. The theory and practice of dirty war is addressed via strategic and tactical evolution on the part of the British security forces and the IRA during the euphemistically termed ‘Troubles’.

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Corruption and Good Governance (PI4589)

30 Credit Points

This course investigates the politics of good governance and anti-corruption policies inside and beyond the borders of Europe. It focuses on the concepts of corruption and good governance, explores major theoretical approaches regarding fight against corruption and addresses specific cases such as corruption in old patrimonial communist states, state capture in Southeast Europe, oligarchs in Europe’s near abroad and lords of poverty in Africa.

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US Presidents (PI4590)

30 Credit Points

The President of the United States of America is commonly seen as the ‘Leader of the Free World’, US elections routinely capture the imagination of the rest of the world and the outcome influences politics far beyond the borders of the USA. Only 45 men have held this position since 1789 – but who are they, what drove their ambition, what were their strengths and weaknesses, their achievements and failures? This course analyses the impact of the individuals in the office of the president.

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Dissertation (LX4025)

30 Credit Points

This course, that is only available to final year honours students, allows you to write a 10,000 word piece on an aspect of law that you choose with the help of a supervisor. Once your topic and plan are approved by the law school you work independently and hand in the dissertation shortly before the Easter Break.

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