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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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Masters LLM in Legal and Political Theory.
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Postgraduate Diploma PG Diploma in Legal and Political Theory.Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Postgraduate Certificate PG Cert in Legal and Political Theory.Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:2018
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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University of York University of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead Department York Law SchoolLaw
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Other contributing Departments: Politics, Philosophy
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PMLAWSLPT1
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Admissions criteria
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Applicants will normally be expected to have obtained an undergraduate degree in Law, Philosophy, or a cognate subject, with honours (2.1 or higher, or its equivalent). Applicants with equivalent professional experience will also be considered on a case by case basis.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months) Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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Legal and Political Theory1 YearFull-timeN/APlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNoN/A
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Legal and Political Theory2 YearsPart-timeN/APlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNoN/A
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N: Noif No move to section 3
if Yes complete the following questions
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, provide details
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Matt Matravers
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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Political theory concerns the questions of “who gets what and who says?”. In modern pluralistic societies an additional question arises: how can we live together peacefully in circumstances in which we disagree about how best to live (for example, with respect to religion, sexuality, abortion, and so on)? These issues are both political and legal. States, and increasingly the international domain, regulate citizens’ lives through law. The purpose of the LLM in Legal and Political Theory is to provide you with the opportunity to study the core issues and approaches of political and legal theory and to consider the relations between them.

The study of legal and political theory is both a matter of abstract and applied theory. You will have the opportunity to engage in both through a range of Core and Option modules, including opportunities to specialise in current controversial areas of law such as counter-terrorism and migration and asylum. By doing this, you will further develop your analytical skills and expand your understanding of controversial legal and political questions.

This subject area is important for arts and humanities, and social science, students who wish to understand better the normative foundations of legal and political arrangements. Those who undertake the LLM will have an excellent grounding, both in terms of knowledge and skills, for further research and for any career in which theoretical analysis and applied thinking are key (these careers run from business and consultancy, to the civil service, to the third sector).

You will engage in a variety of learning activities including lectures, seminars, and a supervised dissertation on a topic inspired by one or more of your chosen modules. This will allow you to develop further your research and project planning and implementation skills.
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5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do.
If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Critically evaluate the central questions of legal and political theory and the works of the great legal and political theorists both past and present who have examined these questions.
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2Discuss and critically evaluate the fundamental principles and theories of common, civil and international law systems and apply a comprehensive understanding of the operation of such principles to the analysis of legal and commercial problems.
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3Apply and adapt problem-solving skills working efficiently and effectively to develop effective solutions to diverse, complex and integrated legal, practical or societal problems.
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4Influence debate in chosen areas of specialisation and interest by developing well-reasoned, critical and creative arguments, theories and solutions to broader legal issues within society, supported by researched evidence, with the capacity to draw on these to produce original responses.
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5Evaluate propositions and solve complex problems by reflexively drawing upon and applying a broad awareness of perspectives and interests in their work, capable of taking into account key considerations (such as: ethical, social, political, professional, commercial, financial, business, international, policy, human rights, ethnic, gender and client interest considerations).
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6Record, reflect on, and evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and progress in their own personal learning and professional development.
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7Develop legal research skills including: the use of computer databases and search strategies; critical evaluation of normative research questions, determine research methodologies which can be used to successfully address such questions, apply the skills and knowledge developed on the programme to a selected problem, and plan, project manage and implement a substantial project with minimal guidance.
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
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The subject matter of this masters course includes some of the fundamental moral, legal, and political questions that have concerned thinkers since Socrates. Engaging with these issues is intellectually challenging and requires sophisticated analytical skills.
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ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
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The programme is distinctive in bringing together the main questions of legal and political theory including in 'real world' cases such as free speech, the duty to obey the law, and the balance between freedom and security. In tackling these issues, students will depend upon and develop analytical and research skills, and the the ability to think creatively in both theory and application.
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iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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All students on this programme will in the first term take a module (Legal Systems: Sources and Operation) in which they will examine the main sources of the law be those sources the common law, international law or civilian (civil code derived) systems. Students coming from civilian legal systems (predominantly non-Commonwealth nations) will be introduced to the origin, principles and working of the common law, whereas those trained in common-law jurisdictions will be introduced to the origin, principles and working of systems which use a codified system. All students will be introduced to the sources and workings of international legal systems. The similarities and contrasts between these systems will compared and contrasted. In this way students from diverse entry routes (particularly international students) will be given a foundation upon which the other modules will build. This module will also introduce students to Problem-based Learning again as a base for using that learning methodology should they opt for option modules that use PBL. In addition, students will take two modules that lay the foundations for advanced level enquiry in legal and political thought: Foundational Issues in Legal Theory and Approaches to Political Theory.  
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iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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Students will develop problem analysis, personal research and information evaluation skills through engagement with Problem-based Learning sessions at the very outset of the programme as part of the "Legal Systems: Sources and Operation" module. Their higher research skills, in terms of developing and critically evaluating normative research questions, determining research methodologies which can be used to successfully address such questions and planning the implement a substantial research project will be developed through the mandatory Research Skills & Methods Module to be taken in Term 3 of the masters course.  
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v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classrooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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Materials, module guides and plenary sessions are shared with students through use of the VLE. Students make extensive use of research databases in their work.
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vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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Experience and data suggest that employers value analytical reasoning skills and the capacity for independent thinking. The programme will support and enhance the development of these, and other, skills.
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viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
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The module leaders are active researchers in the direct (or closely cognate) fields of study covered by their modules and this research informs the content and delivery of the modules. The Research Skills & Methods module is again delivered by active, highly experienced, researchers from a range of sub-specialties thereby giving a range of views and experience on research into normative legal issues. Dissertation supervision is offered by a wide range of supervisors who are experts in their fields.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to:
If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Demonstrate to an extent those skills and knowledge set out in PLOs 1 to 6 above. These students will have covered a certain amount of PLO7 in that they will have developed skills in using computer databases and search strategies and engaged in a certain amount critical evaluation of normative research questions. However in being unable to satisfactorily complete all taught modules they will have been unable to achieve PLO 7 in full. Students exiting with the Postgraduate Certificate will have completed 60 credits which must include Foundational Issues in Legal Theory, Approaches to Political Theory and one option module.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to:
If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Demonstrate those skills and knowledge set out in PLOs 1 to 6 above. These students will have covered a significant amount of PLO7 in that they will have developed skills in using computer databases and search strategies during their other modules and, having taken the the Research Skills & Methods Module (to be run in the early part of the Summer Term), will have engaged in critical evaluation of normative research questions and determination of research methodologies which can be used to successfully address such questions. However, in not taking the Dissertation Module, they will not satisfy fully PLO7. Students exiting with the Postgraduate Diploma will have completed 120 credits (to be run in part of the Summer Term and through the Summer Vacation until the end of the programme at the end of September). They will not apply the skills and knowledge developed on the Research Skills and Methods Module to a selected problem, and plan, project manage and implement a substantial project with minimal guidance. Accordingly, those students would have progressed to meeting PLOs 1 to 6 but not the entirety of PLO 7. Students exiting with the Postgraduate Diploma will have completed 120 credits.
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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points
Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843#.VthM1fmLS70
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Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design.
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each individual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/registry-services/guide/
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Full time structure
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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10LAW00018M-ALegal Systems: Sources and OperationSEA
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10LAW00021M-AResearch Skills & MethodsSEA
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LAW00043M
DissertationSEA
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20LAW00026MFoundational Issues in Legal and Political TheorySEA
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20POL00001MApproaches to Political TheorySEA
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20LAW00044MAdvanced Issues in Legal and Political TheorySEA
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20VariousOption from List BSEA
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20VariousOption from List BSEA
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Please indicate when the Progression Board and Final Exam board will be held and when any reassessments will be submitted.
NB: You are required to provide at least three weeks notice to students of the need for them to resubmit any required assessments, in accordance with the Guide to Assessment section 4.9
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Progression BoardWeek 6 summer term
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ReassessmentWeek 10 summer term
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Exam BoardNovember of following academic year
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Part time structures
Please indicate the modules undertaken in each year of the part-time version of the programme. Please use the text box below should any further explanation be required regarding structure of part-time study routes.
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Year 1 (if you offer the programme part-time over either 2 or 3 years, use the toggles to the left to show the hidden rows)
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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10LAW00018M-ALegal Systems: Sources and OperationSEAEA