LC4S188 - Law of Obligations 01 Sep 2017 - 31 Aug 2025 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: LC4S188
Module Title: Law of Obligations
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Law
Faculty Sub Group: Law
Module Leader: Alexandra Dobson
Module Team: Andrew Baker, Matthew Beecham, Holly Evans
First Intended Intake: SEP 2017 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100683 - comparative law
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2017
Valid To 31 Aug 2025

Module Aims

  • To develop a critical awareness of the role of the civil law in generating enforceable rights and the increasing global reach of domestic law;
  • To develop a detailed understanding and critical appreciation of the operation of the civil law of obligations in terms of the concept of ‘legal duty’;
  • To develop a detailed understanding and critical appreciation of the concepts of ‘strict’ and ‘fault-based’ liability;
  • To identify the major elements of the Anglo-Welsh system and its common law, equitable and statutory remedies

Content Summary

  • The tort of negligence, statutory torts and the principle of vicarious liability will be considered. Where relevant the potential for the extra-territorial reach of tortious liability will be examined;
  • The process of contractual formation and remedies for breach will be considered. An overview of factors which can limit the obligations within contractual relations will be considered, such as causation, illegality, content, exclusion, mistake, frustration and duress;
  • The Human Rights Act (HRA), 1998 (and related relevant case law) and its indirect impact on civil obligations between private parties will be examined critically;
  • Throughout, the student will be required to access primary and secondary legal sources relating to the torts, contract and HRA, utilising the secondary sources to develop their critical understanding and analysis of the substantive law.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminar 40
Independent Study 160
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 To identify the legal and conceptual frameworks applicable to the study of law
LO2 Conduct effective research into the law making process and collate and constructively discriminate amongst independent sources.
LO3 To demonstrate the skills learnt to undertake independent legal research

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Written Assignment (CW) Essay (CW) 2 Critical analysis of current issues in contract. 0 3000 50 No 40
Written Assignment (CW) Essay (CW) 1 Research informed critical analysis of current issues in tort 0 3000 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3
Essay (CW) 2
Essay (CW) 1

Reading List

Slapper, The English Legal System, Routledge

Cooke & Oughton, The Common Law of Obligations, Butterworths

Poole, Casebook on Contract, Blackstones

Halson, Contract Law, Laymans

Markesinis & Deakin, Tort Law, OUP

Hepple & Matthews, Torts, Cases and Materials, Butterworths.

Burrows, Remedies for Tort and Breach of Contract, Butterworths

David Hoffman, The Impact of the UK Human Rights Act on Private Law OUP

Larry A. DiMatteo, Qi Zhou, Severine Saintier, Keith Rowley, Commercial Contract Law: Transatlantic Perspectives, OUP

Stephen Waddams, Principle and Policy in Contract Law: Competing or Complementary Concepts?, OUP

Peter Gerhart, Tort Law and Social Morality, OUP

Douglas Brodie, Enterprise Liability and the Common Law, OUP

Lanse Minkler, The State of Economic and Social Human Rights: A Global Overview, OUP