Unit name | Legal Perspectives on Sustainability |
---|---|
Unit code | LAWDM0127 |
Credit points | 30 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
Unit director | Professor. Pieraccini |
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 |
The aim of this unit is to bring together the diverse expertise of scholars researching and writing in the field of sustainability and sustainable development and to provide a critical exploration of the subject from a variety of legal perspectives. Our objective is to consider how international, European and domestic laws operate to foster or obstruct ‘sustainability’. In the unit we wish to consider a) the multiple (and contested) definitions of sustainability produced by philosophical and ethical considerations and policy documents and how they are internalised or re-shaped in a variety of legal fields; b) how sustainability can be defined so as to make sense in a variety of legal contexts, the international development of the meaning of sustainability culminating in the current transition to ‘sustainable development goals’; c) the challenges of translating these objectives into concrete multilevel legal frameworks and specific legal principles, for example in particular through various participatory mechanisms; and d) the relationship between sustainability and justice considerations as played out in law. In so doing, we will examine such subjects as environmental law, poverty alleviation including food security, labour standards, corporate governance and intellectual property, considering both theoretical perspectives and regulatory instruments.
This unit will give students an opportunity to study key aspects of the QAA sustainability education guidance as mapped into the study of law.
The core topics will be:
Then in any one year we will deliver seminars from the following list of topics:
Students will:
The contact hours for this unit will be 30 hours. This will usually take the form of: 8 lectures, 10 two-hour seminars and 2 assessment preparation and feedback sessions.
Summative: a 2000 word essay (33%) will assess the candidate's ability to research a topic within the scope of this unit. The remaining Intended Learning Outcomes will be assessed in a 3 hour written examination (67%). Both assessments will assess all of the Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit in the context of topics selected by the examiners.
Formative: students should do one formative assessment (this will usually be 1 x 1500 word essay).