Environmental Law (level 6, 15 credits)

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Professor Maria Aristodemou
• Assessment: a learning diary (30%) and three-hour examination (70%)

In this module we address the legal dimension of key issues in environmental protection and the wider relationship between humans and the natural world. We will cover the foundational concepts, principles and rules, and the leading institutions, in environmental law, providing a grounding in the way law shapes, responds to and mediates the relationship between human society and the environment.

We will also explore the challenges the law encounters in addressing complex environmental problems. This will encourage you to think critically and imaginatively about the contribution of law to environmental protection and management, alongside other disciplines.

Indicative syllabus

• Environmental values
• Environmental principles
• Sustainable development
• Risk and precaution
• Public participation
• Environmental justice
• Biodiversity/conservation
• Human rights and the environment

By the end of this module, you will:

• understand and be able to critically analyse key ideas, principles and themes in environmental law and policy
• have critical knowledge and understanding of the distinctive role of law, principles and different types of information in environmental decision-making
• understand and be able to discuss the law in the broader context of the relationship between human society and the natural world
• be able to locate relevant primary and secondary sources of law and judicial decisions
• have enhanced your analytical, research and academic communication skills.