This module introduces students to the key doctrines of the law of contract of England and Wales. It is a key module for any undergraduate law course and provides the intellectual building blocks for others areas of law, notably commercial law. In addition to its central role in the legal learning process, it is an area of law of great practical importance since it touches the lives of us all, directly or indirectly. Its central feature is exchange and the law of contract law regulates both simple transactions, such as consumer purchases (groceries) and services (mobile phones), as well as complex contracts created to sustain international project financing.

Moreover, the English law of contract is of global, rather than purely national importance since it is commonly selected by parties to international commercial contracts as the governing law. One reason for this is that it is widely regarded as undogmatic, as sympathetic to commercial bargains, as facilitative rather than prescriptive. The principle of freedom of contract is taken at least as seriously in this country as in any other in the world. In addition, English courts and arbitrators have a reputation for informed commercial common sense, so that numerous overseas contracts are litigated in this country and made subject to the provisions of English law despite the absence of any connection of the parties and of the contract to England.

The module will introduce students to the key doctrines of English contract law that cover the life cycle of a contract; it will focus on the rules and case law dealing with how contracts are formed; how unfair terms are regulated by the courts; the vitiation of contracts; breach of contract and the remedies for breach. In doing so, the course draws attention to some of the key doctrinal and conceptual tensions in the law.

The aims of this module are: (a) to inculcate techniques of legal analysis of statutes and case law; (b) to explain and unpack the rules and doctrines that constitute the law of contract in England and Wales and (c) to evaluate it critically. You will gain a grasp of the basic rules of contract law and acquire the skills of interpreting, applying and critically analysing those rules.

Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the module via online Moodle information pages.