This module is for those interested in the development and application of EU contract law and its interactions with the contract law of EU Member States.

This course will introduce students to the body of contract law that has been developed by the EU. Students will explore the economic, political and constitutional reasons for why contract law was deemed necessary for the objectives of the EU and analyse the role of both the European court and the legislative institutions in its evolution.  The course will enable students to understand the interplay between EU contract law and the contract law of EU Member States and to appreciate the legal and political struggles at play in this interaction.

In learning about this body of EU (non-state) contract law, the course aims to stimulate broader thinking about the very nature of contract law and its centrality in the identity of the modern nation state. With this in mind, we consider such things as the role of contract law in contemporary society – for example, whether contract law should have a role to play in ensuring ‘social justice’ – and the extent to which processes such as ‘globalisation’,  ‘privatisation’ or ‘constitutionalisation’ may have an impact on private (contract) law.

In summary, this course will be enjoyed by all those keen to develop an appreciation of EU contract law as well as those wishing to gain insight into some of the key themes and challenges for contract law in the 21st century.

 

Health raises important issues of public morality in very personal contexts. Some old (e.g. abortion, euthanasia), others new (e.g. gene editing and...

Health raises important issues of public morality in very personal contexts. Some old (e.g. abortion, euthanasia), others new (e.g. gene editing and sequencing). The law is an important tool we can use to make sense of these issues, albeit it is not the only one. This module examines how public controversies over health are managed through legal means, and assesses current legal developments, including the implications of recent Supreme Court cases. 

The course explains normative and conceptual concerns, including the acceptability of imposing moral values in a pluralist society, aspects of constitutional legitimacy raised by the law making processes, as well as questions of the roles of the courts, clinical freedom, indeterminacy and the rule of law. We will consider the differences between regulatory strategies: different branches of law (e.g., criminal, tort and public), recourse to rights (including human rights), court supervision or authorisation and licensing systems.

These concerns and strategies are examined through the study of substantive topics in the area of health, which are selected through discussion with students. Topics covered are likely to include consent to treatment, confidentiality and the use of health information, medical termination of pregnancy, assisted reproductive technologies, the use of human tissue for transplantation and research, end-of-life care (including assisted suicide and euthanasia), public health law (e.g. infectious disease control) and NHS Law (rationing and rights to care).