Course Catalogue

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An elective course on the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice to equip students with the professional skills necessary for practising law in Scotland with particular reference to human rights issues.

1x 2 hour introductory lecture

9 x 1 hour lectures

10 x 2 hour tutorials

Mandatory Entry Requirements

LLB

Recommended Entry Requirements

None

None

None

Assessment

1. Tutorial Preparation, Participation and Performance. 40%

2. Draft Compatibility Issue Minute 30%

3. Asylum and Immigration Oral 30%

Not available for reassessment

1. Tutorial Preparation, Participation and Performance 40%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which 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:

1. Develop an awareness and understanding of the practice of human rights law in the Scottish context;

2. Recognise human rights compliance and breaches; to identify potential challenges on human rights grounds; and to advise appropriately on the application of human rights;

3. Provide the skills to pursue and defend human rights cases in the Scottish courts.

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

1. Critically assess how Convention rights apply in different factual situations;

2. Use knowledge of human rights to research Convention arguments and be able to communicate this research to a variety of audiences, both orally and in writing;

3. Identify and explain sources of funding and support for those pursuing human rights cases;

4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the human rights obligations placed on public authorities;

5. Demonstrate a critical understanding of devolution issues in the context of human rights challenges;

6. Demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of the procedure involved in pursuing and defending human rights breaches in civil courts;

7. Demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of the procedure involved in dealing with human rights questions in the criminal courts.

Attendance at tutorials is compulsory. Credit will be refused if a student fails to attend a tutorial without good cause.

The requirements for the award of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice is 120 credits

a) candidates to achieve a grade D or better in all courses

b) candidates to achieve a grade D or better in each component part of each course