Course description
LLM in Justice Module overview
You will take four optional modules, at least two of which must be chosen from the Justice module list. You may choose to study up to two modules from other subject areas within Law. You will also undertake a dissertation in a topic related to justice.
Theories of Justice
Providing an underpinning to other justice modules, this module engages you in a detailed examination of the key legal theorists on the topic of justice. During the module, you will be encouraged to adopt a critical perspective on the various arguments as to the meaning of justice and the part it should play within legal decision making.
Criminal Justice System
Repeated allegations about miscarriages of justice, debates about the sentencing of offenders and changes to the rights of suspects have meant that the criminal justice system is regularly subject to debate. By examining the laws regulating key institutions such as the police, the courts and the prison system, this module equips students with the knowledge to evaluate the proper functioning of the criminal justice process.
Law, Society and Social Control
This module focuses on how law and other methods of social control operate in contemporary society and how individuals and groups seek to influence the behaviour of others.
Administrative Justice
Focusing on judicial review, this module critically examines how individuals can secure justice in the face of decisions by public bodies. Close examination of principles such as natural justice will equip you with a firm grasp of justice as a living part of the English legal system. However, students will also engage critically with this area of law as an effective means of controlling the state.
Civil Justice
Given the impact of the civil courts upon the everyday rights of individuals, the accessibility to and effectiveness of such courts is increasingly important. This module addresses how successful the civil justice system has been in providing that access by looking at, for example, both general issues like the funding of civil litigation, as well as specific areas of law such as financial regulation, housing law and tortious actions.
Youth Justice
Building upon and extending beyond the examination of the criminal justice system, this module looks particularly at the ways in which a system of laws has developed to control youth offending, and addresses questions such as when and how youth offenders should be dealt with by the state.
Programme length
12 months full-time, 24 months part-time