CONTRACT LAW I - 2020/1

Module Overview

The module considers the role of contract law in providing a basis for commercial and individual transactions.  The creation, nature and contents of a legally enforceable agreement and the issues and controversies, which arise in this regard, will be explored and discussed.  The course will focus on the nature of a contract in English Law and the roles of common law, equity and statute.

Module provider

School of Law

Module Leader

STARZA-ALLEN Antony (Schl of Law)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A  

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• The nature of contract law


• Offer and acceptance


• Intention to create legal relations


• Consideration


• Promissory estoppel


• The classification of terms and representations


• Incorporation of terms into contracts, including terms implied at common law and by statutes


• Exemption/exclusion clauses at common law, and under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

Identification of Issues

students should demonstrate the ability to identify the legal issues raised by the questions

Analysis of the law and application

students should demonstrate the ability to analyse the relevant law, recognising gaps and inconsistencies, and should be able to apply that law to the issues raised by the questions

Evaluation and synthesis

the law should be subjected to critical analysis and, where appropriate, its wider context should be considered.

Conclusions

students should demonstrate the ability to draw appropriate conclusions, based upon their analysis of the issues raised by the questions.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

1 x 2 hour exam, worth 80% of the module mark.

1 x 1 hour MCQ assessment, worth 20% of the module mark. 

The assessments address the learning outcomes listed above.

Formative assignment

Students will undertake 1 x formative assignment.

The assessment method for each module has been selected to test a variety of key skills, competences and outcomes as required by QAA. As such, assessment method cannot be changed. Reasonable adjustment may be made on application subject to ALS approval AND only where such adjustment still allows for the required skills, key competences and outcomes to be assessed at an equivalent level.

Module aims

• This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the English law of contract up to the point where a contract is formed and performed. Contract law will be considered in its wider context and students will be introduced to some of the philosophical and ethical concepts which have influenced the development of contract law. Students will address such questions as:What is a legally enforceable agreement?What is the nature of a binding promise?What terms can be included in a contract and how are terms incorporated?

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy follows an enquiry-based learning approach.

Lectures will introduce the topics, give a general overview of the principles of each topic, give guidance on how to analyse the law and research those topics and in some instances give specific examples of the law and its effect.

The lectures will not give a full description of, or appreciation of, the law. In order to learn in greater depth and breadth, such as to satisfy the learning outcomes, students will answer questions of some complexity in the 2-hour seminars, either resolving legal problems or performing a critical analysis of the law. Typically the seminar groups will each contain 16 students, who will work in small groups to research the law and present answers, demonstrating self-direction and originality, of both approach and resolution. Students should be prepared to field questions during their presentations, either from their tutor or from fellow students, and to follow up the presentations with group discussion and feedback. Presentations may be required in any form, including advocacy for a specific party in a problem question or argument for or against a specific proposition.

For efficiency and ease of understanding, teaching of critical legal skills may be blended with the substantive subject-specific lectures.        

The learning and teaching methods would typically comprise:

• A 1 hour session introducing the enquiry-based learning method used in this module and how it should be approached in the context of contract law


• 11 x 1 hour substantive subject-specific lectures


• 1 hour feedback session on the formative assessment


• 2 x 1 hour revision lectures


• 6 x 2 hour seminars, as described above

 

Note: as this module is assessed by examination, the formative assessment will also be by examination, which may be held in place of one of the substantive subject-specific lectures. 

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: LAW1027

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.