Course Catalogue

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This level 4 honours course introduces students to the contemporary law of social security in the United Kingdom against the background of relevant policy debates, and considers the relationships between social security law, human rights law, and devolution.

The course is taught by way of weekly 2-hour seminars. There will be 10 such seminars in total.

This course is only available to LLB students.

None.

None.

Summative essay of up to 2000 words (25%); 2-hour unseen examination (75%).

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 aims of the course are:

■ To introduce students to the UK's social security system and the way in which it has developed over time, including in the context of devolution to Scotland;

■ to enable students to develop an understanding of a variety of key concepts in social security policy and how they are translated into legal rules;

■ to enable students to develop an understanding of the relationship between social security law and the modern law of human rights in the UK and in Scotland;

■ to enable students to apply their general legal understanding to particular questions which arise in the context of social security law; and

■ to enable students to develop oral and written communication skills through participating in seminar discussion and submitting essay and dissertation work.

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

■ outline the key concepts of social security policy and discuss how these are reflected in the way in which modern system of social security law in the United Kingdom has developed;

■ explain and critique the law governing a range of specific social security benefits;

■ evaluate the position of social security law within the legal regimes permitting challenges to government decision-making, in particular as regards human rights; and,

■ critically assess in the round the system of social security law in the United Kingdom.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.