- An undergraduate course
in
Law.
Law: agreements, rights and responsibilities
- On this page
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | W300 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| No residential school | |
This course examines the two Foundations of Legal Knowledge covered by the Law of Obligations: Contract and Tort. In Contract Law you will consider the legal requirements for the formation of a contract together with its content. You will study the law relating to exclusion of liability, discharge from a contract and the remedies available for breach of contract and misrepresentation. In the Law of Tort you will consider the basis of tortious liability and specific torts such as negligence, nuisance and trespass. The course also introduces the law of restitution. The course deals principally with the law of England and Wales.
Modules at Level 3 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
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What you will study
This third-level course is intended for students who already have a good knowledge of the English legal system and method, building on the knowledge and skills developed in Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law (W100), Understanding law (W200) and Law: the individual and the state (W201).
The course will enable you to:
- understand the general principles of the law of contract and the law of tort (the requirements that must be satisfied for an action in contract or tort to arise)
- appreciate what constitutes a valid contract, and what remedies are available if a contract term is breached
- understand what (if any) legal redress is available if an agreement is entered into under a misapprehension or undue pressure
- consider to what extent liability can be excluded by a contracting party
- appreciate how and in what circumstances parties may be discharged from a contract
- define the elements of particular torts such as negligence, nuisance and trespass
- appreciate when defences such as consent and illegality and the quasi-defence of contributory negligence will be available to a defendant
- understand the remedies that may be available in contract and tort
- apply the legal concepts you encounter to factual scenarios, developing your skills of analysis and problem solving
- acquire the confidence to reflect critically on the current state of the law of obligations.
The course introduces and develops a number of skills that will facilitate your learning, with support both in the material and from your tutor.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at Levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject, preferably with the OU.
This course will be a good choice if you have taken Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law (W100), Understanding law (W200) and Law: the individual and the state (W201) and intend to obtain a qualifying law degree, or if you have studied the law before, have an up-to-date knowledge of the Foundations of Legal Knowledge and want to develop your understanding. This could be either out of general interest or because some legal knowledge of contract and tort would be useful in your work.
The course assumes that you already have knowledge and understanding of the law, particularly the Foundations of Legal Knowledge, and we strongly advise you to take W100, W200 and W201 first.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Outside the UK
Please note that this course is only concerned with the law of England and Wales.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
The written study material is available in a comb-bound format and written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. The study materials (excluding text books) may be available on CD-ROM in Adobe (PDF) format. Some components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. You will need to spend time using a personal computer and the internet. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Services for disabled students website for more information, including:
- help to determine your study requirements and how to request the support that you need
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
- using a computer for OU study
- equipment and other support services that we offer
- examination arrangements
- how to contact us for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials and access to certain legal databases.
The study materials are updated annually, but it may be necessary to update during your study of the course if there is a major (and unexpected) change to the law.
You will need
This course may offer online tutorials in the future, in which case you will need a headset with a microphone and earphones to take part.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will be allocated a tutor who will give you guidance on your work, and who will offer academic support wherever possible. Your tutor will assess and give feedback on your course assignments. We expect to offer group tutorials which may be face to face or, in some sparsely populated areas may be offered online. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Although you are not obliged to attend any of these, you are strongly encouraged to take part.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Professional recognition
This course can contribute to a degree that is recognised as a qualifying law degree. The degree is acceptable for completing the academic stage of training as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, as long as you comply with the requirements of the Professional Bodies. You can view or download our Recognition leaflet 3.13 Law for further information.
There are different entry regulations into the legal professions in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. You should read the Recognition leaflet as it is your responsibility to ensure that you meet these requirements.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2014. We expect it to be available again in October 2014. We then expect it to be available once a year, in October.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Student Reviews
“This is really a fantastic module as the amount of new law(s) that you are introduced to and can get ...”
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“I was expecting to find W300 difficult and in some respects it was. It was my 4th year of law ...”
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information read Distance learning explained.
Undergraduate
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | W300 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| No residential school | |
Your questions
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