BA (Hons) Law and International Studies

Constitutional Law

This module is designed to enable students to develop an understanding of the key principles and core concepts underpinning constitutional law. The aims of the module are as follows:

1. Understand what a constitution is and why it is necessary
2. Understand the key characteristics of constitutions
3. Understand the importance of constitutional principles
4. Develop an understanding of the different sources of constitutional law
5. Develop an understanding of the constitutional sources of the powers available to different governing institutions

Theories of International Relations

This module is your gateway to understanding how the world really works and how power, identity, and ideas shape every diplomatic move, alliance, and global crisis. You will explore the theories of International Relations. From realism and liberalism to Marxism, feminism, post-structuralism, and post-colonialism, and see how each offers a different lens through which to interpret world events. Through vivid case studies from the Middle East to America and Asia, you will put theory into practice, unpacking how concepts like anarchy, power, and cooperation define the global stage.

This module is also about learning to think like a strategist: to analyse, debate, and challenge the assumptions driving today’s international order. By the end, you’ll see how theory becomes a tool of diplomacy, persuasion, and leadership – central to shaping the narratives and decisions that define global politics.

Global Politics

This module introduces you to the defining political challenges of our time. From the evolution of the modern nation-state to the forces of globalisation, international cooperation, and contestation. By tracing how states, institutions, and ideas have developed and interacted, you will gain the theoretical foundation needed to analyse today’s most pressing global issues.

You will engage with key concepts such as sovereignty, power, hegemony, justice, and human rights, exploring how they shape the global order and the tensions within it. Through historical and theoretical inquiry, you will examine questions of war and peace, regionalism and multilateralism, and postcolonial dynamics that continue to influence world politics.

By the end of the module, you will possess the analytical framework to interpret global political developments critically – and understand the structures, struggles, and ambitions that define the international system in which we live.

Political Systems

This module compels you to explore how power really works. Comparing how different countries govern, compete, and sustain legitimacy in a changing world. You will examine the great ideologies that have shaped political life – liberalism, socialism, conservatism and beyond – and study how they take form in systems ranging from vibrant democracies to rigid authoritarian regimes.

You will then delve into how constitutions, parties, elections, bureaucracies, and media shape the ‘rules of the political game’ across nations. Why do some systems produce stability while others breed unrest? How do culture and communication influence governance and leadership?

Through lively comparative case studies, you will analyse how institutions evolve, how ideas travel, and how societies reinvent political power. By the end of the module, you will not only understand different systems, but you will also be able to think like a global political analyst, comparing and explaining the forces that shape the world’s governments.

Contract Law

The module examines the key areas of contract law, including formation of contract, consideration, terms of contracts, exemption clauses, vitiating factors, misrepresentation and remedies for breach. It aims to develop skills in the areas of legal problem-solving and communication of this in a clear and professional manner.

Concepts and Foundations of Criminal Law

The first aim of this module is to enable students to understand certain key aspects of criminal law, such as the criminal process, actus reus, mens rea, legal capacity and the main offences against the person and to consider possible reforms in the law.

The second aim of the module is to further develop problem-solving techniques, including the identification and application of relevant law to factual situations.

Tort Law

The aims of the module are to:

1. equip you with appropriate and relevant substantive and contextual knowledge of the rules, principles and policy factors underpinning the development and application of Tort Law in England and Wales
2. enable you to conduct research using appropriate information technology (IT), including statistics and other numerical data, in order to resolve problems caused by breaches of tort-related obligations and to maintain and update your expertise
3. help you develop an understanding of how interpersonal interests are affected and protected by the Law of Torts
4. facilitate the active development of skills in order to be able to make use of the process by which disputes involving Tort law are resolved.

British and European Politics

This module provides an in-depth examination of contemporary British and European politics, developing a critical understanding of how national and supranational systems interact within complex political hierarchies. It situates Britain’s political evolution within the broader European context, tracing the shifting balance between sovereignty, integration and influence. Key themes for students of diplomacy, governance and international relations.

The first part explores the development of the British parliamentary system, post-1945 political dynamics, and the processes of devolution across the home nations, before analysing Britain’s evolving and often contested relationship with the European Union (EU).

The second part investigates the foundations and trajectory of European integration, from the post-war European Coal and Steel Community to the modern EU, examining its governance structures, policy mechanisms, and impact on member states.

In the final part, the module adopts a comparative approach, analysing political systems across Europe, including the UK, France, Germany and Russia, to understand their institutional variations, political cultures and strategic relationships with the EU.

International Order

Through a combination of theoretical exploration and practical engagement, this module provides you with a deep understanding of international institutions and their effectiveness in shaping global policies. It equips you with problem-solving skills through simulations of real-world issues, fostering critical thinking and research abilities. Additionally, the course emphasises the changing nature of global governance, the evolution of multilateralism, and the importance of sustainability in international relations.

By integrating employability-focused activities, such as structured class discussions, you will develop communication skills essential for future careers in diplomacy, policymaking, and global affairs. International organisations exist to address global challenges and facilitate cooperation among nations. While traditional international relations theories view the global system as anarchic, international organisations have become key actors in global governance, particularly since WWII.

However, the last two decades have seen a decline in the effectiveness of multilateral diplomacy, with institutions like the UN, EU, and WHO facing significant challenges. At the same time, the world has become increasingly complex in the context of maintaining international order, with crises such as climate change, refugee displacement, ongoing conflicts, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic testing the resilience of international institutions. This module encourages you to critically analyse the role of these organisations and assess the feasibility of frameworks like the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in tackling contemporary global issues.

European Union Law

This module is designed to enable you to develop an understanding of the English and European Legal Systems. The aims of the module are as follows:

1. Understand the basic structure of the European Union
2. Develop an understanding of the sources of law in Europe
3. Understand the various roles performed by key law-making institutions in Europe
4. Understand the key principles of EU law, including supremacy, direct effect, indirect effect and state liability
5. Understand the Court of Justice of the EU and references under Art 267 TFEU
6. Understand EU law relating to freedom of movement of goods and of workers.

Property Law

Property law is the area of law that focuses on the various forms of ownership in real property (land) and personal property. Thus, property refers to legally protected claims to land and personal property. This module explores the respective concepts of property law in English Law, including Equity. We shall explore and critically consider the way in which people – often several at the same time – acquire rights over land, and how disputes over these rights can be avoided, and, if not avoided, then resolved. The principles of the Land Registration Act 2002 will be a key part of the module.

Research Methods

This module equips you with the core research skills and conceptual understanding required to conduct rigorous inquiry in Law and International Studies. It explores the key methodological, practical and philosophical challenges of political research, emphasising the importance of crafting strong research questions and selecting appropriate methods for investigation. You will engage critically with debates on objectivity, interpretation, explanation and values in the social sciences, gaining insight into how these shape the production of knowledge in political and legal inquiry.

Through guided workshops and practical exercises, you will learn to design, conduct and interpret research using a range of methods, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, historical research and content analysis. The module fosters analytical thinking, methodological confidence and intellectual independence, laying the foundation for the successful completion of the Level 6 dissertation and for evidence-based work in professional or policy contexts.

Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution

This module provides a comprehensive exploration of diplomacy as a tool for conflict resolution and crisis management, combining conceptual, theoretical and practical perspectives. It examines how diplomatic mechanisms operate within contemporary international relations, focusing on negotiation, intelligence, security cooperation and public diplomacy. Through detailed case studies, you will evaluate the effectiveness of traditional and emerging approaches to peacekeeping and mediation, while considering the growing influence of non-state actors, international organisations and sustainability frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

By engaging in interactive learning, including live crisis simulations, you will apply theory to practice, collaboratively managing hypothetical international conflicts that test strategic thinking and decision-making under pressure. The module enhances research, analytical and communication skills while deepening understanding of diplomacy’s evolving role in shaping global order. It prepares you to think and act effectively in the complex, fast-changing environments of modern international affairs.

Public International Law

This module is a study of Public International Law in the contemporary world. International Law is the normative system or body of legally binding rules that governs states in their relationships with each other, as well as other subject entities such as international organisations, and exceptionally, individuals. The most important role of International Law in the contemporary world is to secure international peace, security and co-operation. As such, it is a very important subject, and institutions of higher education are encouraged to include international law as a core subject in their curricula. Indeed, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 44/23 (passed on 17 November 1989) declared the 1990s as the UN Decade of International Law whose purposes included the promotion of the acceptance and respect for international law. The Resolution specifically encourages the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of International Law. The international legal order is extremely dynamic; it is in constant struggle with world events on the ground at any given time and the student must inform themselves of such contemporary events.

International Environmental Law

The module is designed to explore, examine and evaluate the core legal principles and concepts underpinning international environmental law, policy and its regulatory structure. This will be undertaken in the context of the wider political, ecological and economic issues. In particular, the core sources of international law (including EU Law) relevant to environmental protection, the international institutions engaged in its development, alongside the respective legal issues involved with implementation and enforcement of environmental crime will be explored.

International Human Rights

This module provides a critical exploration of the global human rights system from its origins in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to its contested application in contemporary politics. It examines the legal, philosophical and political foundations of human rights, interrogating why the principles of freedom, equality and dignity, though widely endorsed, often remain unfulfilled in practice. You will analyse the roles of key actors, including states, the United Nations, transnational corporations and NGOs, in shaping how and for whom human rights are protected or denied.

Through case studies on issues such as security, terrorism, Guantánamo Bay, refugee protection, indigenous and minority rights, corporate accountability and climate justice, you will evaluate the tensions between human rights ideals and geopolitical realities. The module culminates in a policy recommendation paper, where you identify a current human rights challenge and propose actionable solutions. Combining debate, critical reflection and applied research, this module develops the analytical, ethical and policy skills essential for understanding and engaging with human rights in global governance.

Dissertation (2 semesters)

This capstone module enables you to undertake an independent research project in Law and International Studies, guided by a supervisor with expertise in your chosen field. Whether theoretical, philosophical, legal, historical or empirical in nature, the project allows you to explore a specific research question in depth, applying the methodological and analytical skills developed throughout the degree. The module supports each stage of the research process, from refining a topic and conducting a literature review to generating and analysing data.

You will produce a substantial piece of written work that demonstrates intellectual independence, critical insight and methodological rigour. Alongside the dissertation, you will present your research in a professional academic format through a research poster, communicating complex ideas clearly and persuasively, essential preparation for postgraduate study, policy work or research-oriented careers in international, legal and political contexts.