Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of evolving law concerning children's rights in the UK, with a particular focus on Scots law. To that end, the course will consider the overarching framework, theoretical debates and legal policy considerations informing children's rights-based reforms. Developments in Scottish and wider UK law will be critically analysed with reference to international legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Weekly two-hour seminars (with a reading week) throughout Semester 1

This course is only available to LLB students.

None

None

A 1000-word plan/outline (15%) and a 4000-word essay (85%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The course aims to develop students' understanding of the law as it relates to children's rights in the context of the relationship between domestic law and international treaties. This will allow students to critically engage with law and policy as it relates to children's lives.

Further aims are:

(i) to enhance the analytical and critical skills of students by detailed examination of the relevant legal instruments (both domestic and international) and cases concerning children's rights.

(ii) to develop the students' ability to constructively criticise current Scots and UK law and practice in this area and to evaluate possible reforms.

(iii) to provide the students with a critical understanding of contemporary issues and ongoing debates in the context of children's rights in domestic law.

(iv) to give the students an opportunity to undertake independent research on topics of current relevance and interest.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

(i) evaluate the major contemporary issues relating to children's rights law, policy and practice in Scotland and, where appropriate, across wider UK law.

(ii) appraise the role of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child within domestic law and critically analyse how that international instrument impacts upon children's rights in domestic law.

(iii) assess the effect of the European Convention on Human Rights on the rights of children in domestic law.

(iv) critically analyse the scope and extent of current provision for children's rights in Scotland and, where appropriate, across wider the UK.

(v) identify and comment upon areas of debate and controversy in the context of children's rights.

Completion of the summative assessment.