Describe what constitutional law is, why countries have constitutions, how constitutions are classified and the basic characteristics of British constitutional law

This paper deals with the following aspects:

• The concept of constitution

• Why do countries have constitution?

• The features of British constitutional law

• The legal and political types of constitutional sources

• The phenomena and relationship of the rule of law, separation of powers and parliamentary sovereignty

• The concept of judicial review and its systems

• The concept of civil liberties and the Human Rights Act 1998

Instructions 

Learning outcomes to be assessed

You will be expected to meet the following learning outcomes:

Learning Outcome 1:

Describe what constitutional law is, why countries have constitutions, how constitutions are classified and the basic characteristics of British constitutional law

Learning Outcome 2:

Demonstrate awareness of the constitutional sources, both legal and political, which determine how the British monarchy and the UK’s parliamentary system of government work

Learning Outcome 3

Define correctly the constitutional principles of the rule of law, separation of powers and parliamentary sovereignty and explain how they interrelate with each other

Learning Outcome 4

Describe what judicial review is, the rules which determine whether or not it is available and the basic procedure a claimant must follow

Learning Outcome 5

Identify and state the grounds for judicial review and apply them to problem questions to provide principled solutions.

Learning Outcome 6

Demonstrate accurate basic knowledge of civil liberties and the Human Rights Act 1998

 

Assessment brief including criteria mapped to learning outcomes

As part of the Assessments, students should be able to do the following:

•           Follow instructions on Blackboard for all assessments;

•           Complete the task set on time (by the given hand-in date for all assessments);

•           Demonstrate sound English literacy and grammatical accuracy;

•           Be able to use a word processor (PC);

•           Undertake basic analytical tasks;

•           Be able to use the Internet as a research tool;

•           Be able to use email in order to communicate effectively with the module leader, lecturers, course leader and other students;

•           Demonstrate wider reading, by reading ‘around’ the given topics;

•           Be able to compile and cite a learned bibliography and use footnote or endnote referencing during report writing;

•           Refer to statutes or cases that are relevant to the question/topic