UJUTK7-30-3

Family Law
Introductory Lecture
September 2023
  The tutor team
 Module content
 Module delivery

Overview  Reading
 Blackboard site
 Assessment and deadlines
 Approach to learning and assessment
  Ruth.Gaffney-Rhys@uwe.ac.uk
The tutor team  Emma.Whewell@uwe.ac.uk
  10 weeks of new work + 1 week of revision/coursework
session
 Family relationships
 Family relationships
 Formation of marriage/ civil partnership
 Flawed marriage/ civil partnership – nullity, non-marriage
and presumption of marriage

Module content  Forced and predatory marriage

 Law reform and evaluation
TB1
 Domestic abuse and violence
 Including coercive control, stalking and harassment
 Law reform and evaluation

 Divorce and Separation

  10 weeks of new work + 1 week of revision/
coursework session
 Finance and property
 Spouses and civil partners
 Unmarried partners
Module content  Law reform and evaluation
TB2  Children
 Private law including parental child abduction
 Public law including special guardianship and
adoption
 Law reform and evaluation
  Lectorial (1 hour on campus every Thursday)
Module  Seminar (2 hours per week on campus)
delivery
  Announcements
 Module information and overview
 Module Factsheet
 Module Handbook
 Family Law Study and Assessment Calendar

Blackboard site  Reading List

 Study Unit Materials:
 Lectorial student instructions and slides
 Seminar student instructions and slides
 Films/ documentaries/ other useful resources
 Assignments
 See also on Blackboard: LAW UNDERGRADUATE
MODULAR SCHEME/ STUDENT SUPPORT
 Reading
 Reading List on Blackboard
Recommended Course Text:
Family Law by Jonathan Herring (11th edition.
2023)
 Student Instructions every week
  Essay
 Coursework 1 will be based on topics studied in TB1
 The question will be released in December 2023
 The question will be broken down into several parts – all
Assessment and of which must be answered
 The overall word limit is 2,500 words for all parts
deadlines: (individual word limits are not assigned to each part)
Coursework 1  Submission deadline: 14.00 hours GMT on Wednesday
14th February 2024 (plus a 48 hour late submission
window)
 The work must be researched, written and submitted by
you individually in one document
  Problem Question
 Coursework 2 will be based on one or more topics studied
in Semester 2

Assessment and  The problem(s) will be released in March 2024

 Submission deadline: 14.00 hours (BST) on Thursday
deadlines: 25th April 2024 (plus a 48 hour late submission window)

Coursework 2  The word limit for your answer is 2,500 words

 Again, the answer must be researched, written and
submitted by you individually in one document
Suggested approach to learning
and assessment
 Who am I
(now)?

‘The devil is Culture

always in the Values
detail’ Background

Making claims: Existing

where’s your knowledge/
evidence/ be previous
balanced experiences

Ethics of
everybody/
practise/ Motivation
feedback/ learn
from mistakes

New skills: New learning:

intellectual/ statutes/ cases/
creative/ procedures/
interpersonal/ approaches/
reflective legal ethics
Our uniqueness

Competitive/
changing market

Time and effort

needed to learn our
craft
 • PRIVATE STUDY
• Undertake the advance preparation for lectorials and seminars (watch
documentaries, undertake reading and questions as directed in the
1 Student Instructions on Blackboard)

• GROUP WORK
• Attend lectorials and seminars and participate

2 • Slides/activities/ discussion/ questions and feedback

• PRIVATE STUDY
• Consolidate notes/ talk with peers
• Undertake consolidation exercises on Blackboard
3 • Reflect on experiences and learning
 • PRIVATE STUDY
• Close any study skills gaps – see Undergraduate Module Scheme pages on
Blackboard (especially Student Support/ Academic Skills Support)
4
• PRIVATE STUDY
• Undertake further reading to deepen your knowledge and understanding
• Make (revision) notes/flow charts
5 • Think about your learning and development

• CONSOLIDATION
• Coursework sessions at the end of each semester

6 • Organise your Family Law notes

• Organise your notes about your own learning and development
  To get the most out of this course and the assessments:
 Prepare well for each lectorial and seminar
 Attend each lectorial and seminar
 Participate as fully as you can
 Make notes to consolidate your learning

Study and  Ask about anything you are unsure of

 Identify a regular time in the week to reflect on your learning in your
assessment last lectorial and seminar:
 Maybe chat with a ‘buddy’/ study group
success  Think about previous assessments you have undertaken
 Was your approach about right?
 Did you allow yourself enough time?
 What can you learn from the feedback and marks you have received?
 What do you need to do to improve (and how and why)?
Weekly
Planner
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun