ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE - 2026/7

Module Overview

This module builds on students¿ knowledge gained at level 4 concerning the rule of law. The module content and assessment strategy provide students with a theoretical understanding of environmental justice. The module demonstrates the role that access to environmental justice plays in upholding human rights and participatory democratic law making. The module assesses the implementation and limitations of implementing access to justice in the current UK legal system. The module examines the challenges of upholding access rights to environmental information, participation in decision making and the justice system, including an analysis of the wider human rights dimensions such as the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to peaceful protest. The module also focuses¿ on how digital technologies are presenting new opportunities and challenges to advancing access to environmental justice for citizens in the UK. Students will evaluate environmental procedural rights practice across the legal and justice sectors, the role of lawyers, and ways in which access to environmental justice can be enhanced.

Surrey Law School is a member of the Environmental Law Foundations¿ (ELF) UK university legal policy clinics. Students develop legal policy proposals to address current selected access to environmental justice issues in the UK. The ELF clinical legal and policy education element.
enhances students¿ employability.

Students develop their policy and/or legal writing skills from levels 4 to achieve a deeper level of critical thinking and independent learning.

Module provider

Surrey Law School

Module Leader

LESNIEWSKA Feja (Law)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None. However, the module will be mandatory for students on the LLB Law, Environment and Sustainability pathway

Module content

Indicative content includes ¿
¿ Introduction to access to environmental justice and the rule of law
¿ Concept and methodology: Environmental Legal Policy Clinic.
¿ History of procedural environmental rights
¿ Environmental justice theory
¿ Access to environmental justice and human rights
¿ Access to environmental information
¿ Rights to participate in environmental decision making
¿ The right to protest and environmental justice
¿ Technology, innovation, barriers and benefits, including regulatory concerns
¿ Reforms and the future of access to environmental justice

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

n/a

Assessment Strategy

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

¿ Knowledge and understanding of topics covered in seminars
¿ Understanding of key access to environmental justice issues and evaluation of complex theoretical perspectives
¿ Critical engagement and reasoned¿analysis
¿ Evaluation and synthesis of the wider social/moral/ethical context
¿ Analytical ability to draw appropriate conclusions, based upon analysis of the issues raised by the questions.
¿ Critical engagement in scholarly debate
¿ Ability to critically reflect and evaluate
¿ Ability to link theory to practice

The assessment method addresses all learning outcomes listed above, demonstrating achievement of learning. The assessment of learning empowers students to self-regulate and critically evaluate.


Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

Students undertake 2 X summative assessments

¿ 2000 Word Essay ¿ 70%
¿ 1000 Word Reflective Essay ¿ 30%


Formative assessment

¿ Students undertake 2 x formative assessments:
¿ 1000 word essay
¿ 500 word reflection.

Feedback

¿ To help develop resourcefulness and resilience, students assume responsibility to improve their learning and will receive regular feedback on their progress which is reflected in seminar contributions and individual performance ELF legal policy clinic and reflective practice. Written feedback and verbal feedback will be provided on formative assessments building upon feedback at levels 4.

¿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

• To provide an overview of environmental justice issues in the UK
• Examine the nature of access to environmental justice in its broadest sense
• Identify the barriers and limitations to access to environmental justice
• Understand and appreciate that access to justice is central to the rule of law
• Evaluate the issues relating to access to environmental justice and the impact on meeting wider sustainability challenges.
• Encourage the consideration of substantive law within the broader economic, social environmental and political context
• Examine procedural issues contributing to the economic, environmental and social inequality in access to justice
• Critically assess whether technology can be harnessed to improve access to environmental justice

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
¿ Follow a problem-based learning methodology.
¿ It is delivered through interactive Seminars, with a clinical related element, in the form of a topic specific environmental legal policy project working with ELF partners.
¿ External practitioner guest speakers will contribute towards discussions that take place during the seminars.
The learning and teaching methods typically comprises
3-hour seminars X 10 weeks including environmental justice presentations in week 8.
During and in advance of seminars, students carry out research to come prepared to answer and discuss seminar questions using guided materials.
Working in teams, students actively engage in the research, design and preparation of their research and drafting of legal policy analysis to be delivered to ELF partners on a range of environmental topics.
Students gain important transferable skills, enhancing employability, such as teamwork, communication, organisation, presentation, collaboration, digital literacy and research skills.
These sessions are delivered in collaboration with the Library and learning resources team to demonstrate the practical elements of legal skills and research.

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: LAW2107

Other information

The School of Law is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: Employability: The knowledge, understanding, qualities and skills that are developed throughout this module provides students with the opportunity to develop important transferable skills required for future employment and professional identity, such as teamwork, presentation skills, communication, cooperation, time-management skills. Digital Capabilities: Digital literacy skills and digital innovation, are developed through participation in the clinical elements of this module¿s research, design, presentations and interactive workshops, adopting the use of online learning and teaching platforms, such as Slido and Kahoot. Students conduct research and examine whether technology is critical to improving access to justice. Global and Cultural Capabilities: This module allows students to gain global and cultural awareness when making a comparative analysis with other countries and cultures in considering how to achieve sustainable development. Students consider substantive law within the broader economic, environmental, social and political context and the impact on inclusive growth and citizen well-being. The methodology, problem-based learning, provides learning opportunities that use real-world issues and problems to increase knowledge and understanding. Sustainability: This module challenges students to think about why access to environmental justice matters and consider how it contributes to achieving sustainable development in relation to equal access to justice for all, It critically assesses the international sustainable development goals and what access to justice has to do with health, climate change and poverty. Students examine the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in relation to Goal 16, Access to Justice for All, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels. Resourcefulness and Resilience: Law students will develop resourcefulness and resilience through academic opportunities and the student-centred methodology adopted in this module, i.e. problem based learning. Students will actively participate during interactive seminars and assume responsibility to improve their learning, and, working in small groups, the context is organized around scenarios to develop a high level of analytical skills. The module structure, content, methodology and assessment, encourages students to think critically and to carry out research to address complex issues. This develops students¿ approach to a deeper level of understanding and independent learning. The critical self-reflection assessment is designed with a view to students demonstrating a deep level of critical self-reflection of one¿s own work and the skills and qualities acquired.

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 2026/7 academic year.