Environmental and Energy Law
| Module title | Environmental and Energy Law |
|---|---|
| Module code | LAWM711 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | () |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
The course will help you understand and evaluate how law might protect the environment in the wider context of environmental and energy policy. You will be asked to reflect on why law attempts to regulate activity, particularly in relation to energy infrastructure, production and consumption that might have impacts on the environment and to consider both the different types of regulation employed, with particular reference to energy regulation and the environmental media (land, air and water) that the law looks to protect. The course uses energy policy as an arena in which tensions between economic growth and environmental protection are played out. You will review how certain international law obligations are taken up both in EU and UK law.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Because environmental and climate change issues are increasingly important to society, this course aims to allow you the opportunity to question how effectively environmental law can protect human health and the environment. The course aims to address practical and pressing problems with a particular emphasis on issues that arise in the energy debate including sustainability, project finance and climate change. The course questions how we can limit environmental damage in the future and addresses important issues of environmental justice, energy security and climate change adaptation. There is a practical end to the course as it aims to review various forms of regulation in the energy context.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate detailed understanding of how law seeks to limit damage to human health and the environment, particularly in the context of energy production and consumption;
- 2. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of regulatory theories and the policies pursued to protect the environment;
- 3. Demonstrate critical awareness of different models of environmental and energy regulation;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge of international, European Union and UK legal instruments, case-law, statutory materials and critical legal literature as well as critical awareness of their contextual implications;
- 5. Demonstrate a flexible and innovative ability to analyse complex legal problems, identify the relative significance of applicable rule and principles, and select appropriate methods for investigating and critically evaluating legal responses to such problems;
- 6. Apply detailed and comprehensive legal knowledge to a problem and argue alternative approaches;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Identify, retrieve and use the full range of library-based and electronic resources efficiently and autonomously for specific learning tasks;
- 8. Demonstrate the ability to communicate well orally and in writing in a manner appropriate to this discipline.
- 9. Clarify, plan and undertake tasks confidently and independently, individually and/or with others, to reflect critically on the learning process and to make use of feedback effectively;
- 10. Demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover the following topics:
Introduction to environmental law
Environmental principles
Environmental regulation – theory and practice
Enforcement of environmental law
Environmental regulation and environmental media (land, air and water)
Protection of natural resources (bio-diversity loss and historic pollution)
Climate change law and policy
Energy Law and Policy (particularly EU Energy policy) - fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable energy
Project finance and environmental and energy law
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 270 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 12 | 1 x 3 hour introductory lecture session and 9 x 1 hour overview lectures relating to the material which will be the subject of the following weeks seminar. Lectures which introduce students to particular topics and will provide the foundation for independent guided study.Lecture led seminar classes (10 x 3 hours) |
| Guided independent study | 60 | Preparation for (written) formative and sumative assessments |
| Guided independent study | 160 | Preparation of seminars, including seminar presentations |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 18 | Lecturer-led, two-hour seminars (total of nine). Students will be expected to participate in the making at least one presentation, either individually or, if numbers are large, as part of a team, during the course of the seminar programme. |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Other guided independent study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1,500 | 1-4; 7-10 | Comments on School feedback sheet attached to each essay and provision for individual discussion with students over any concerns or problems |
| Team/ individual oral presentation | 30 minutes | 7-10 | Comments on School feedback sheet and/ or discussion with students over any concerns or problems |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 7,500 words | 1-10 | Formal written feedback and an opportunity for oral feedback from the lecturer |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 7,500 words | 1-10 | August/September |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic Reading:
Stuart Bell. Donald McGillivray. Ole Pedersen Environmental Law (Oxford University Press, 2013, 8th edition)
Elizabeth Fisher, Bettina Lange, Eloise Scotford Environmental Law: Text, Cases, and Materials (Oxford University Press, 2013)
Raphael J. Heffron Energy Law: An Introduction (Springer, 2015)
Jane Holder and Maria Lee Environmental Protection, Law and Policy (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
Karen Makuch, Ricardo Pereira (eds.) Environmental and Energy Law (Wiley-Blackwell), 2012)
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/guides/energylaw.cfm
This is an Energy law research website
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/03/2013 |
| Last revision date | 13/11/2015 |