| Unit name | Information Technology Law |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD30003 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Vranaki |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will examine the law and policy issues relating to a number of key aspects of the information society. It will begin by considering the debate about the nature of the influence of information technology upon the development of new legal doctrine, moving on to consider - through topics such as data protection and freedom of information, computer misuse and computer evidence, copyright and digital rights management, criminal content liability and defamation, and e-commerce - both how the law has responded to the challenges of information technologies and the extent to which legal issues have shaped the development of information society policy.
By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:
• Give a clear account of case and statute law relating to: financial / property allocation on divorce/dissolution and on the breakdown of informal relationships; Public child law – the law relating to family support, child protection, state care and adoption, and the implications of arts 3,6 and 8 of the ECHR for these areas of law.
• Describe the current application of the law through familiarity with empirical research literature and case studies.
• Summarize the law, processes and practices in legal and non-legal language.
• Analyse legal problems and issues to identify potential strategies and solutions.
• Develop realistic solutions to problems through a synthesis of case law and research/ practice evidence on the operation of the law.
• Assess the application of the law and reform proposals in terms of their ability to respond to the competing rights and interests.
• Find and use primary legal materials to answer questions and extend/update their knowledge of the subjects studied through analysis/synthesis, critical judgment and evaluation.
23 lectures and 7 tutorials
1 formative assessment: 1 x 1,500 word coursework. Formative assessments do not count towards final mark and can be optional.
2 x summative assessments: 2 x 2,000 word coursework. Summative assessments do count towards final mark. The assessments will assess all of the intended learning outcomes for this unit.
Lessig, L. Code: and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Basic Books, 2000
Rowland, D., Kohl, U. & Charlesworth A. Information Technology Law, (4th ed.) Routledge, 2011;
Lloyd, I. Information Technology Law (7th ed.), OUP, 2014;
Murray, A. Information Technology Law (2nd ed.) OUP, 2013.
