LLB (Hons) Law with Criminal Justice & Human Rights

21st-century lawyers need to be equipped with a dynamic mix of critical thinking and practical legal skills, as well as a sound understanding of how new technologies are beginning to impact on professional settings, legal research and legal analysis. 

This module will introduce you to the use of legal databases, academic referencing and other key writing and research conventions in the discipline. It covers:

• concepts of big data and AI (artificial intelligence), and how these can be deployed to construct legal cases
• the development and use of digital communications, social media, electronic videos and blogs appropriate for legal professionals
• writing conventions from across the curriculum, notably creative writing techniques which will allow you to use the English language with care and accuracy
• the art of public speaking and principles of negotiation and mediation
• law firms as businesses and relevant etiquette
• key principles of comparative law
• practical legal skills including client interviewing, advocacy/persuasive oral communication, case analysis and legal drafting 

You will have opportunities to learn from leading personalities in Law and high-impact professionals and the module will draw on Goldsmiths' unique tradition of excellence in the arts and humanities, and the dynamic network of academics and legal experts collaborating with Law at Goldsmiths.

The module is assessed through a written portfolio which may include advocacy exercises or simulated negotiations and mediation; provision of written advice to a fictional client; producing a case comment or bibliographical list; researching and writing blog posts; researching and drafting skeleton argument; preparing legal bundles in the context of mooting exercises.

This module will explain the principles of English Contract Law, covering everything from the formation of a contract to the remedies available for breach. It will identify key questions and issues underlying the philosophy of Contract Law, drawing on the latest research in the field. 

Case studies will extend to niche and contemporary developments such as smart contracts (for example a computer code capable of monitoring, executing and enforcing an agreement), negotiating complex, highly lucrative, contracts (such as in multi-million television rights deals in sport or ‘on demand’ television) or studying the formation of contractual duties in the context of specialised art market transactions.

Where relevant, you will also be introduced to examples from the Contract Law of foreign jurisdictions, inviting you to reflect on cross-cultural differences and similarities in practice and in relation to wider theoretical principles.

This module critically explores the definition, scope and application of criminal offences and the theories that underpin them. You will gain a systematic understanding of the practical, cultural, ethical, institutional and socio-political context within which these apply, with reference to feminist and human rights perspectives. Analysis will be continually informed by reference to criminalisation theories, with a view to identifying, and critically reflecting upon, liberal or more conservative interpretations. The need for reform will be critically assessed from a normative and practical, evidence-based, perspective.

We will explore themes such as general principles of criminal liability, homicide offences and non-fatal violent offences against the person, sexual offences, property offences and secondary participation in crime. Key discussions will include engagement with police station procedure and suspects’ rights, prosecutorial discretion, pleas, pre-trial hearings, and trial procedure including the exclusion of improperly obtained evidence.

The key aspects of criminal law theory that you will cover in the module are in line with relevant qualifying exam guidance, particularly the SQE1. The module also incorporates activities such as guest lectures and workshops delivered by criminal justice professionals, study visit(s) to the Old Bailey and/or local Magistrates and Crown Court, participation in relevant VR experiences and observation of/participation in mock Crown Court trial and mooting.

This module introduces the theoretical principles, institutional structures and legal practices that underpin Constitutional and Administrative Law in the UK, and their intricate relationship with human rights law.

You will develop a contextual understanding of this area, with significant emphasis on the constitutional crisis generated by Brexit. Through this you will explore fundamental constitutional law concepts from the angle of the current ‘political crisis’: parliamentary sovereignty; the Royal Prerogative; the relationship between the House of Commons and House of Lords; the separation of powers; the role of the UK Supreme Court in constitutional matters and challenges to judicial independence; devolution; the absence of a written Constitution. 

Significant emphasis is placed on the effect of the Human Rights Act on common law doctrines in public law. You will investigate the links between Brexit and the debate on the repeal of the Human Rights Act from a historic and socio-legal perspective, with direct reference to Eurosceptic and isolationist trends in the UK. The module also examines the range of public law processes that regulate the relationship between the individual and the state, with a focus on judicial review.

To bridge the gap between theory and practice, the module integrates research and public engagement activities undertaken as part of the ‘Britain in Europe’ think tank and ‘Knowing Our Rights’ (KOR) research project. This may involve meeting MPs, select committee and ‘Britain in Europe’ experts; attending research events; taking part in human rights workshops delivered at local schools as part of KOR (selected groups of students); visiting Parliament, when in session, or attending select committee hearings.

As part of the assessment strategy for this module you will have the opportunity to take part in a simulated parliamentary debate.

Delivered in very close proximity to the heart of legal London, this module introduces students to domestic sources of law and key institutions of the English Legal System, including fundamental principles and rules of the civil justice system, in line with the new qualifying examinations for solicitors and barristers (e.g. regarding permitted rights of audience) (the corresponding principles of the criminal justice system are covered in the ‘Criminal Law Theory and Practice’ module).

The module adopts a highly contextual and cosmopolitan approach. Systematic visits to legal courts and other venues of legal significance in London give students a deeper understanding of how these institutions work in reality, and how professional parties operate in practice. Principles, rules and institutional aspects of the English Legal System are also compared and contrasted with selected examples from foreign and international jurisdictions; Canada, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, France, Greece, the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and International Court of Justice can be indicatively mentioned.

Students are enabled to conceptualise the English Legal System in the institutional and professional context within which it applies, from a domestic, comparative and international law perspective.

As part of formative assessment, students are also given the opportunity to put theory into action. They take part in comparative ‘mock trial’ exercises that offer a representation of trials in common law and Continental European law. These mock trials lead students to draw conclusions about the differences and similarities between common law and civil law institutions.

One of the paradoxes of the EU referendum in the UK, and the decision to leave the European Union, was that EU law has become overnight a hotly debated and controversial area of law, and one that future lawyers practising in the UK will need to continue to master, arguably for years, if not decades, to come (whereas in the past, EU law was often devoid of attention, at the socio-political landscape at least). The Law programme at Goldsmiths takes a novel and dynamic approach to teaching this area of Law, fully equipping future lawyers with the knowledge and skills that you will be required to possess, at a time when the UK has disentangled itself from thousands of pieces of EU legislation and designed domestic legislation to substitute for them.

The ‘EU Law and the UK’ module will introduce you to the key EU institutions and EU law fundamental principles, for example with regards to the legislative mechanisms by which EU law is produced and incorporated in Member States, and the relationship between EU law and domestic law. But it will take you further than that. It will place the operation of EU law in the UK in its, critical, historical and current socio-political context, asking whether the often-obscure institutional mechanisms and characteristics central to EU law played a part in, or actually facilitated, the negative representations to which it was subjected in British media.

The EU referendum will be examined as a case study for the analysis of Eurosceptic challenges facing the application of EU law today in several EU member states, with a view to suggesting avenues for enhancing transparency and accessibility of EU law and its institutions. It will take a forward-looking approach, exposing you to challenges and opportunities concerning the UK’s future relationship with the EU, e.g. in relation to future trade agreements, citizens’ rights, free movement etc.

To achieve the above, the module will take you outside and beyond the classroom, bringing you in contact with key players in current debates on EU law e.g. MPs, Members of European Parliament (MEPs), Human Rights NGO experts, policymakers and members of EU institutions. This will be in the context of: (a) guest lectures by visiting fellows in the Goldsmiths law programme and EU officials; Law at Goldsmiths is privileged to count MEPs and key European policy experts amongst its fellows; (b) participation in research and public engagement events organized at Goldsmiths and in legal London; (c) participation in simulation-based activity, e.g. regarding EU-UK negotiations, or EU trilogies between the key institutional parties.

This module equips students with a sound understanding of, and the ability to critically analyse and apply, the theories underpinning the law of Tort. It introduces students to the concepts of civil wrongs and injuries, compensation, the protecting of interests in property, reputation and personal freedom.

Key themes will include: the law of negligence (where students will explore key concepts such as omissions and acts of third parties, duty of care, standard of care, breach of duty of care), special liability regimes (occupiers’ liability, product liability, employers’ liability, breach of statutory duty), personal torts (invasion of privacy and defamation), land torts (trespass), vicarious liability and damages for death and personal injuries.

The module will offer students opportunities to engage with the intellectually challenging philosophical questions which define how far liability under Tort should extend, for example the extent to which a person should be vicariously held accountable for the mistakes of others or whether liability should be negligence-based or stricter. It will also expose students to international and foreign law perspectives, placing English law in a global context. European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence will provide a key point of reference, concerning human rights violations by states and businesses.

This module provides an introduction to a complex area of law, which forms part of the foundations of legal knowledge in UK law. It will take areas of certainty, based in statutory law, as its starting point, and will expose you to modern developments underpinned by case law.

Key themes include:

• registration of title
• the transfer of freehold land
• adverse possession
• consecutive and concurrent interests in land
• co-ownership
• leasehold estates
• mortgages
• easements
• protection of interests in land
• registered land and unregistered land

Special workshops led by legal professionals will address aspects of functioning legal knowledge relevant to Land Law, in line with the requirements of the new solicitors qualifying examination (SQE).

This module introduces the idiosyncratic concept of Trusts in English law. You will be exposed to the philosophies that underpin the institution of Trusts, and invited to think critically about the application of Trusts in practice, some of which raise significant ethical concerns, such as their application in the context of tax havens. 

Key themes include the creation and recognition of trusts, the regulation of trusts, trusts and third parties, and equity.

Special workshops led by legal professionals will address aspects of functioning legal knowledge relevant to Equity and Trusts, with a focus on Wills and the Administration of Estates and Trusts, in line with the requirements of the new solicitors qualifying examination (SQE).

In this module, you'll learn to place international law within its political context. You will consider how international relations and politics impact on the contours of international law, and how international law can be used as a tool for conducting international relations.

It asks the following questions: is international law really law or is it a mere continuation of politics? How does international law affect how we live in the UK? Is Palestine a State? Can Catalonia or Scotland lawfully breakaway from, respectively, Spain and the UK? Is the ICJ an independent Court or is it controlled by States? Is international law patriarchal? Is it inclusive of the global South? Or does it merely represent the views of the ‘West’, of the rich and powerful? To explore these questions, the module provides a brief introduction to the theory and nature of international law. The nature of some political ideologies is explored with reference to their consequences for international law and in particular on international institutions, security and today’s global issues.

You will:

• Investigate how political ideologies shape various conceptions of international law and its sources
• Explore which entities can pretend to the status of State, the politics involved in the recognition of new states, as well as the implications of the principle of self-determination for groups seeking independence
• Explore the role of international organisations and non-State actors and entities such as individuals, corporations or military factions in international law
• Look at the politics of dispute settlement, the legitimacy of the use of private justice and examine the political dimension of the ICJ’s jurisdiction
• Look at the relationship between domestic and international law

To achieve the above, you'll be taken outside and beyond the classroom, getting contact with key players such as NGO experts, policymakers and members of international institutions. This will be in the context of e.g. (a) guest lectures by visiting fellows in the Goldsmiths law programme and other officials; (b) study visits or other involvement with London based UN agencies such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees UK, the UN Global Compact Network UK or the IMO; (c) participation in simulation-based activity (model UN activities, participation in international law moots such as the Jessup).

This module will be beneficial because of the ever-widening reach of international law, there is a growing demand for practitioners and in-house lawyers with knowledge of the field. In addition, this module will be of appeal to those interested in a career in foreign affairs and the public service, the UN and other inter-governmental organisations as well as the NGO sector.

This module considers a number of issues broadly concerning crime: both acts themselves and also the legal, penal, civil society and policing frameworks which address them and which frame them.  You'll explore longstanding philosophical and social theoretical questions about the relationship between crime, the law, justice and rights. You'll specifically look at the actualisation of ideas, theory, principles and discourse into practice and lived experience. 

You'll learn from guest speakers who will talk about their experience and their research concerning how things actually happen, in relation to theories and ideas about how things are said to happen. 

You'll examine the space between law’s conceptualisation of itself as being neutral, above and outside society, and a social critique of that conceptualisation which focuses on all the ways in which law falls short of its own ideals.  Law is understood as a relationship between concepts and their actualizations by social actors; a relationship between the conceptual and the material. 

You'll consider the institutions of criminal justice systems, e.g. police, judiciary, legal defence and prosecution, legal support, sentencing, and prison.

The module considers crimes against humanity, and the meaning of key concepts such as:

• Humanity
• State
• Universal jurisdiction
• Individual responsibility

You'll explore what kinds of behaviour constitute crimes against humanity, and how, why and by whom such crimes are committed.

You'll examine what kinds of international legal instruments and institutions have arisen to designate crimes against humanity as such in order to try to prevent or punish them.

You'll compare legal practices of representing such crimes with other practices, in particular memoirs and films. We'll employ concepts to understand case studies and it will employ case studies to shed light on concepts; it will in this way develop a materialist sociological methodology, rooted in empirical study, in order to understand the world. 

Most people in the world are religious and religion is a significant social force across societies. Research within the Sociology of Religion shows that while a few years ago many sociologists and criminologists thought religion’s influence was decreasing, especially in the ‘west’, this view has changed with the realisation of religion’s continuing, and in some cases increasing, significance.

Religious individuals and institutions both protect and harm individuals: where are the boundaries marking acceptable or unacceptable religious practice? New questions arise concerning the legal rights and responsibilities of religious actors, the shifting boundaries between public and private, the roles of those who police and enforce individual and collective rights and the type and quantity of religious laws and rules. What is meant by religious equality, and how does this impact on human rights and social justice? Do religious people have the ‘right’ to follow their religion’s teaching if it affects the rights of other people, and who decides?  

What is considered to be ‘criminal’ activity changes over time and place, as does the nature of law and other forms of regulation. Most literature on religion and crime speaks to the normative, taken-for-grantedness that religious people are ‘good’. Such assumptions ignore the way religion actually ‘works’ on the ground. Globally, terrorism, conflicts and war crimes are often driven by ethno-religious claims and aspirations. Those in positions of religious power and authority sometimes abuse their roles and the people who follow them. How does the law, and religion, construct certain behaviours as either deviant or permitted, and how is that changing and why? 

The activity of such diverse arenas as sharia courts, secular courts and the United Nations are explored to show how religion is regulated and represented. Finally, the role of religion in the care of criminals is explored, starting with early prison reform and more contemporary initiatives such as prison chaplaincy.  

Using theories and cases from around the world, with an emphasis on the UK and Europe, this module helps students of sociology, law, criminology and sociology of religion to understand the critical relationships between religion, crime and law.  

This module will also prepare you for future study of contemporary religion, law and crime and for careers where understanding diversity and complexity will be strong employability assets. 

Our academic departments are developing exciting elective ideas to allow you to broaden your education, either to develop vocationally orientated experiences or to learn more about contemporary society, culture and politics. You’ll be able to choose safe in the knowledge that these modules have been designed for non-subject specialists and to bring students from different disciplines together. For example, you may want to take introductions to areas such as Law, Education, the digital industries, the creative industries,think like a designer or understand the history and politics behind our current affairs.

This module will critically examine contemporary law and policy, determining the scope and application of intellectual property rights (for example, copyright, trademarks and patents). It places emphasis on digital copyright and related issues such as performers’ rights, moral rights and database rights. You’ll be exposed to research and analysis on cutting-edge developments, such as big data and data mining and the impact of artificial intelligence on copyright The module also directs students to search for viable alternatives to European regulation of copyright that could apply after the UK will have withdrawn from the European Union. 

Guest lectures and specialist workshops delivered by Intellectual Property lawyers and representatives of selected industries with a stake in the regulation and enforcement of Intellectual Property legislation will allow students to critically assess Intellectual Property Law in its current socio-political and economic context.

The module adopts a blended learning approach, whereby students are expected to have read specific materials before arriving in the classroom, and an innovative ‘assessment by student participation’ method, where students are given marks for the level of contribution they make to learning in the classroom.

Lots of students join Goldsmiths because they want to make a difference in society, to bring about positive change and develop skills and experiences which will allow them to access exciting careers. Goldsmiths’ Social Change module will allow you to do work on group projects with students from other departments to bring about change. You’ll be introduced to the UN’s Sustainable Development goals and core project management theories and practices allow you to work across a number of weeks towards a final Festival of Ideas where you’ll report work back to the academic and local community.

This module provides you with a sound understanding of UK immigration policy, as underpinned by the statutory legislation, case law and wider political and philosophical discussions that determine the purpose and extent of domestic immigration controls, and protections afforded to immigrants (or lack thereof).

You will be introduced to the wider legislative and jurisprudential (legal) framework applying to immigration controls. The focus will then turn to topical and controversial case studies – such as analysis of the ‘hostile environment’ policy, indefinite immigration detention, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and the refugee crisis. These case studies offer the opportunity to analyse UK law in its cultural and socio-political context, with reference to domestic and international human rights protections.

Specialist workshops delivered by immigration lawyers, government officials and NGO experts will allow you to critically assess immigration law in its current socio-political and economic context.

Throughout this module you will be expected to have read specific materials before arriving in the classroom, and be assessed by an innovative ‘assessment by student participation’ method, where you will be given marks for your level of contribution to learning in the classroom.

You will attend, and contribute research and written work to the ‘Criminal Justice & Human Rights Dissertation module’ seminars, where you will be exposed to current, challenging criminal justice and human rights debates. These seminars will provide students with a unique opportunity to work with Law academics, Goldsmiths academics from other departments, and Visiting Law Professors. These seminars will also provide a platform for students and academics teaching on the programme to engage in relevant interactive exercises, study visits, and public engagement work.

Activities will include research seminars, public debates, film screenings, exhibitions, and other events of interest to criminal justice and human rights, at Goldsmiths and in London. You will be required to attend a specified number of events, and produce a learning-log in which you will articulate your learning experience, and its relevance to your dissertation.

Studying the law of Criminal Evidence will be a primary focus for all students wishing to enter the Bar or practice in criminal law more generally. This module will equip you with a sophisticated understanding of, and the ability to apply, the rules relating to the admissibility, use and appreciation of evidence in criminal trials.

Throughout the module, you will explore topics such as confessions; the right to silence and the privilege against self-incrimination; identification evidence; undercover police operations; exclusionary rules for evidence obtained in violation of human rights; character evidence; and the course of evidence, with a focus on examination in chief and cross-examination.

The module adopts a legal cosmopolitanism approach. It will examine domestic legislation, case law and practice through the lens of international human rights and comparative law. The right against torture, the right to fair trial and the right to privacy will provide the required focus with regards to the former; the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights will be a key point of reference in that respect. Examples from Commonwealth countries, the United States, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece will ensure that sufficient comparative law coverage is provided, and that strengths and weaknesses of English common law come to the surface.

As well as learning about the theory of the law of Criminal Evidence, you will gain crucial advocacy skills through guest lectures by leading practitioners. These skills are then put into action, and assessed, in the context of participation in mooting competitions. 

The module adopts an innovative ‘assessment by student participation’ method, where students are given marks for the quality of their participation in mooting.

This module will offer students the opportunity to take part in Goldsmiths’ Human Rights Clinic.

This involves a range of activities, such as:

• Advising clients: Some students will work alongside barristers or solicitors specialising in human rights adjudication. They will research relevant topics such as immigration, housing, data protection, and will advise clients, under supervision, on the human rights dimensions of their cases. Students will be introduced to general principles of clinical legal education and ethics, and related skills, such as client interviewing and legal drafting.
• Participation in Knowing Our Rights project: This will involve participation in a number of research activities such as school human rights workshops, researching human rights jurisprudence, blogging, participation in research events and the production of short human rights videos.
• Participation in Human Rights mooting competitions: Students will be entered into ELSA’s annual European Court of Human Rights Mooting Competition and/or the ‘Knowing Our Rights’ annual inter-University mooting competition.

Students may be able to take part in only one or all of the above. Specific details about clinical supervision, and the ECtHR and Knowing Our Rights moots, will be made available by the department on an annual basis.

In addition to the clinical elements, this module will provide students with a solid foundation in European human rights law as it applies in the United Kingdom. It will focus on the application of specific rights in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as case studies that will shed light on the general philosophies that underpin its operation in practice.

The ECHR’s application in the UK and the debate on UK withdrawal from the Convention and the potential repeal of the Human Rights Act, will be used as a case study of the political, cultural and institutional factors that can affect the implementation of international human rights in domestic jurisdictions.

The law of the ECHR will also be examined in parallel with rights protected under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, with reference to the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union. This will allow you to obtain a holistic view of, and critically reflect upon, the state of human rights in the UK, particularly after withdrawal from the European Union.

The module will incorporate guest lectures by leading European Human Rights experts, attendance in research seminars and study visits to areas of interest, including an annual visit to the European Court of Human Rights for selected students.

The module adopts an innovative ‘assessment by student participation’ method, where students are given marks for the level of contribution they make to learning in the classroom and the quality of their performance in relevant clinical and experiential learning activities.

We’re living in a time of global climate crisis. How might we, as sociologists, and as people living in this world, make sense of climate change and ecological collapse? What are our responsibilities? How are we complicit? How can we make sense of the histories which led to this moment and how might we imagine our futures? How do we stay hopeful?

In this module, we'll think together about how we got here and where we are going. We will explore the environmental crisis as a multiple, interconnected issue which has a long history, and highly differentiated and unequal impacts. The module takes a decolonial and anti-racist perspective to environmental issues, embedding work by indigenous, racialized and global south scholars across each week of the term, to help us reframe debates and theories. We also look at different kinds of fictional writing about the environment. In this way, we want to explore how the global climate crisis represents a challenge to ways of knowing and to ways of living and necessitates us thinking in different and more connected ways.

The module investigates the nature of media law and ethical regulation for media practitioners primarily in the UK, but with some comparison with the situation in the USA and references to the experiences of media communicators in other countries. The students are directed towards an analysis of media law, as it exists, the ethical debates concerning what the law ought to be, and the historical development of legal and regulatory controls of communication. The theoretical underpinning involves a module of learning the subject of media jurisprudence- the study of the philosophy of media law, media ethicology (the study of the knowledge of ethics/morality in media communication), and media ethicism (the belief systems in the political context that influence journalistic conduct and content). The module evaluates media law and regulation in terms of its social and cultural context. It is taught in one and a half hour lectures and one-hour seminars that involve the discussion of multi-media examples of media communication considered legally and/or morally problematical. Media Law and Ethics is a dynamic subject with dramatic and significant changes and developments occurring from year to year addressing acute issues in journalism, current affairs and politics. As a result, the module content is substantially revised year after year in response to these developments.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to rights in terms of their philosophical foundations, the history and shape of the UN system and anthropological contributions. We'll be exploring human rights and humanitarian law as bodies of law, institutions, systems of practice and ideologies – with particular focus on the issue of cultural relativism (historically the key stumbling block for anthropological engagement with rights) and cross-cultural experiences of engagement with, or resistance to, rights. 

The concept of ‘crimes of the powerful’ responds to long-standing criticisms that criminology focuses on petty crimes and offenders whilst neglecting crimes committed by powerful corporations, states and organisations.

In this module, we'll take a wide-ranging interdisciplinary approach drawing on research and theory from criminology, sociology, socio-legal studies, law, human rights, politics and international relations to discuss diverse issues such as war, state crime, corporate and white-collar crime. You'll learn why crimes of the powerful have generally proven difficult to legislate or punish.

This module will provide the opportunity for advanced study of psychological science applied to the investigation of crime and the process of criminal law. Research will be primarily, but not exclusively, drawn from applied cognitive psychology. It will be of interest to students considering postgraduate study in forensic psychology.

The module will cover current issues in psychology and law selected from: interviewing suspects, false confessions, detection of deception, interviewing witnesses, eyewitness identification, false memories, interviewing children, offender profiling, CCTV, decision making in forensic contexts.

This forward-looking module draws on Goldsmith’s strengths in the areas of technology and creativity, and its rich heritage of fostering original thinking and innovation. The module asks novel questions about rapidly changing, highly sophisticated technologies, their impact on society and how they risk (or promise) to transform the legal profession.

Law is always playing catch-up with modern technology and this module will provide you with the technological, systemic, ethical and cultural understanding to keep abreast of new technologies, and to provide critical responses to them, including in relation to the risks for fundamental human rights.

Teaching on the module will be interdisciplinary. You will engage with tech experts and firms leading in the development, proliferation and use of such technologies, who will provide an essential understanding of how these technologies work in practice, what they aim to do and how they affect us. Legal experts will then raise critical questions about how law can (and whether it should) regulate such technologies, and the logistical and ethical challenges that arise when attempting to do so.

Specific areas of discussion will range from year to year. Key debates will include:

• data protection, and how the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is changing the existing landscape
• the challenges and opportunities in the use of Big Data; the ‘Cambridge Analytica’ scandal will provide an important case study. The class will reflect on the implications of global corporations and governmental authorities obtaining access to such data
• cybercrime and the regulation of internet communications, particularly in the social media environment; these will be analysed through the lens of the conflict between privacy and freedom of speech
• the impact of disruptive technologies on existing markets, and how far can regulation go: ‘Uber’, ‘Netflix’, the ‘Blockchain’ technology and regulation of crypto-currencies like ‘bitcoin’ will provide interesting case studies
• cloud computing and the risks for data protection and the right to privacy
• AI’s implications on the workplace: the first stages in the recruitment process may soon have little human interaction or AI may be used to defeat latent bias in recruitment and reduce the gender pay gap; how should Law respond to these developments?
• Ethics and AI: can artificial intelligence make a value judgment in a ‘lesser evil’ scenario, for example would a self-driving car be programmed to protect its passengers at all costs and what should be the implications where it decides to do so at the cost of an innocent bystander? Or how should we conceptualise criminal liability where it is a robot that has committed a mistake, for example in conducting a medical operation?

This module offers students an outstanding opportunity to put legal theory into practice, hone legal skills, obtain a solid understanding of potential career destinations and develop a professional ethos and other transferable skills.

The module involves spending 14 days in total on a work placement.

Students complete the 14 days of work placement (112 hours) over the summer between year 2 and year 3 of their programme (exceptions may be possible if significant placement opportunities arise over the course of Year 2 of the programme and a student’s timetable allows them sufficient time to undertake such an opportunity).

During the spring term, students participate in relevant workshops, delivered by the Careers Service, that prepare them for placement.

Also during the spring term, students complete 10 hours of trial observations, which must take place in at least two different courts; the choice of courts is entirely of the student taking the placement module.

The module offers students placement opportunities in relevant legal firms and organisations such as solicitor firms, barrister chambers, legal advice centres, Citizens’ Advice Bureaus, social justice organisations, human rights NGOs, Law Clinics.

The department may also offer placements with an academic research emphasis, for example as part of work undertaken in the Britain in Europe thinktank and Knowing Our Rights research project that it hosts.

Commercial Law is continuously evolving, with new legal concepts and frameworks being designed to offer businesses sufficient flexibility in an increasingly competitive globalised environment. This module will introduce you to the key philosophies and practices that underpin this process.

Key themes will include: the law of agency (creation of the agency relationship, the authority of an agent, relations between principal and agent), the law relating to the domestic sale of goods (transfer of title, perishing of goods, delivery and payment, implied terms and statutory rights) and methods of payment, finance, and security.

Significant emphasis will be placed on international trade agreements, particularly in the context of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. First, the module will analytically inquire about the possibilities, challenges and opportunities in relation to trade with the EU after Brexit. It will look at the Customs Union and solutions that may lie outside the latter when pursuing a strong trade agreement with the EU. EFTA, GATT and WTO Law will be examined in that respect.

Analysis will then move on to non-EU trade, investigating how UK businesses could be offered certainty while the UK will be transitioning the dozens of trade agreements that the EU has in place with third countries, and considering the legal and logistical obstacles to agreeing new trade deals. Plans for bilateral agreement with the United States, India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland will provide the focus of much discussion in this part. From a wider philosophical angle, the above will create scope for critical reflection on the idea of this ‘new age of bilateralism’ as a populist device.

The pioneering Art Law module at Goldsmiths is strongly grounded in the university’s rich heritage in the creative arts. The Department of Art, which has a leading reputation internationally and whose academics, students and graduates form part of London’s dynamic art world, provides a unique backdrop against which students in the LLB (Hons) Law will critically explore the interactions between their discipline and the world of art.

The module will start by introducing students to essential knowledge and understanding of contemporary art. It will then focus on providing you with a sound understanding of the legal principles that concern the operation of the commercial art world, and the ability to engage in critical analysis and evaluation of contemporary issues in art and law. You may explore the formation of contracts in art market transactions, corporate practice in the art world, the application of intellectual property law (for example copyright and moral rights) to artistic work, artists’ rights in relation to their work, and cultural heritage restrictions to the international trade of art, among other topics. 

Graduates from the LLB (Hons) Law programme who take Art Law as an option will be well placed to pursue a career in commercial art galleries, auction houses, fine art insurance, museums and similar. This is a competitive but lucrative and continually growing area of law, with the UK performing for many years as the second largest art market in the world.

Companies play a critical role in modern society, as the key mechanism for the conduct of business. How companies are regulated and operate has major ramifications for the economy of a country and the wellbeing of its citizens, particularly from the viewpoint of the protection of their fundamental rights as consumers and individual human beings.

This module will provide you with a thorough grounding in the key principles and jurisprudence underpinning UK company law. It will introduce you to European dimensions of company law and generate discussion on regulation post-Brexit, considering that UK company law has been influenced and shaped for over 40 years by legislation inspired and developed by the EU.

Ethical issues deriving from analysis of failures in corporate governance will also attract attention, particularly with reference to the relationship between directors and shareholders, and companies’ responsibility to society more generally.

Other topics discussed will include corporate personality and limited liability; raising capital; the constitution of the capital; corporate management; corporate governance; corporate rescue and liquidations.

Finally, in line with the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), the module will provide you with elements of functioning legal knowledge relevant to business law and practice, and will give you the opportunity to hone relevant skills in experiential learning activities. This could include advising a business start-up to meet a business’s objectives or applying the understanding of principles of contract law to advise a business client entering into a contractual arrangement.

This module will provide you with a solid foundation for the second stage of the new solicitors qualifying examinations (SQE2), and the Bar qualifying equivalent.

It will introduce you to the five practical legal skills assessments that form part of SQE2:

• Client Interviewing
• Advocacy/Persuasive Oral Communication
• Case and Matter Analysis
• Legal Research and Written Advice
• Legal Drafting

The teaching and assessment of these skills will be set in the following contexts:

• Business Practice
• Wills and the Administration of Justice 

The module adopts an innovative ‘assessment by student participation’ method, where students are given marks for the quality of their participation in relevant legal practice activities.

This module is designed in line with the ‘SQE – Draft Assessment Specification’ document published in June 2017. Appropriate adjustments will be made to the content of this module to accommodate any changes in related SRA guidance and forthcoming guidance by the Bar Standards Board.