The Law Programme
Introduction
Welcome to The College of Law/Open University Law Programme Support Sites. These support sites are designed to be a valuable additional resource to help students through their study of the compulsory law modules offered by the Open University in partnership with The College of Law.
Click ‘Introduction to The Law Programme’ on the left if at any time you wish to return to this page.
There are currently eleven modules on offer.
1a Compulsory module for non-graduates
If you are not an existing graduate, you must first complete W100, a Level 1 module.
W100 Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law
This is the Open University Law School's 60 credit module at Level 1 and, like the other compulsory modules below, starts in February. It is designed to introduce students to the study of law and legal reasoning, and is likely to be of particular interest to those intending to go on and study at a higher level.
1b Compulsory modules for graduates and non-graduates
These are the four modules which are essential to your study if you wish to obtain a Qualifying Law Degree (ie which satisfy the requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority or Bar Standards Board if you want to go on to qualify as a solicitor or a barrister); in other words, a Qualifying Law Degree (LL.B (Hons)). Each of these modules carries 60 credits.
Modules
These four compulsory Level 2 and Level 3 modules encompass the seven foundation subjects of legal knowledge, the English legal system, legal method and skills.
W200: Understanding law - an introduction to the foundation subjects and an in-depth study of EU Law
W201: Law: the individual and the state - Public Law and Criminal Law
W300: Law: agreements, rights and responsibilities - Contract and Tort
W301: Law: ownership and trusteeship: rights and responsibilities - Land Law and Equity and Trusts
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2. Optional modules
The optional law modules listed below can be studied as part of a law degree, but it is not necessary to include them in a degree to make it a qualifying law degree.
The Open University, in conjunction with The College of Law currently offers four modules which fall into this category:
W221 Employment law and practice
This module begins in November. It carries 30 credits, and is designed to give students a thorough grounding in the law and practice relating to employment.
W222 Consumer transactions: law and practice
This 30 credit Level 2 module begins in May. It covers a wide variety of commercial transactions, both from the point of view of businesses and (where relevant) consumers, looking at relevant law and practice.
W223 Company law and practice
This module begins in November and carries 30 credits. Like W221 W222 and W224 it is a Level 2 module, and can be studied as part of a law degree. The module looks at the way in which companies are set up and run in England and Wales and considers the impact of the Companies Act 2006. In addition, and by way of comparison, it also considers in outline other ways in which businesses can be run (e.g. sole trader, partnership). Related areas such as insolvency and tax are considered, as well as issues of current concern (e.g. good corporate governance, corporate social responsibility).
W224 Relationships, families and the law
This module begins in November. It is a 30 credit Level 2 module which can be studied independently of any other law module or as part of a law degree. The module looks at the ways in which the law regulates relationships and families in England and Wales. The module considers partners living together, getting married, the law relating to children, separation, divorce, elderly relatives and same sex relationships. The subjects are covered in a very practical way, using case studies, to illustrate how the law impacts on everyday situations.
The Open University also offers two further Level 1 law modules:
W150 – An introduction to the law in contemporary Scotland
This 15 credit Level 1 module looks at law making in contemporary Scotland.
Y186 – Starting with law
This 15 credit Level 1 module explores key legal concepts such as legal capacity and the rights and responsibilities of the individual, beginning with childhood, through to adulthood and finally into old age.
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