Legal Controversy and Society: Understanding Roles and Perceptions

1.Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding 
Know and understand the fundamental principles of the UK legal system with particular relevance to role of society in the development and implementation of law; sources and types of law; and explore controversy, as an outcome of the intersection between the law and the society.

2.  Demonstrate the following skills and abilities

Search for and identify relevant legislation, case law, and other sources of information relevant to law; collate, summarize, and do an exploratory analysis of a variety of sources; and develop arguments and conclusions supported with appropriate evidence. 

This is a four-part portfolio which assesses your understanding of the role and perceptions of society on matters of legal controversy, and the theory of law in practice using basic analytic skills. You will be given 2-4 issues to pick from. You will be expected to do some research about the issue from an academic and contemporary point of view and carry out an exploratory analysis of the issue as it relates to the law and practice. You are also expected to be able to identify 2 current legislation that relate to the issue as well as 1 case precedent. 

Section one 500 words 

Background or introduction, 
In this section you are expected to introduce the specific issue you are interested in from the perspective of academic literature only. You are expected to explain the issue, define any key terminology and set the context in which you are looking at the issue using at least 3 academic journals. For example, if you pick disability rights, you will be expected to look for 3 academic journals using discover (e.g. Jones et al (2019) explored the idea of hidden disabilities… or Bagenstos (2009) suggest that the rights of disabled people are…). Please avoid giving your opinion here as we expect you to evidence the ability to present academic perspectives on the issues under discussion. 

Section two 500 words 

Analysis of societal opinion 
For this section, you are expected to focus on the media’s representation of your issue. You are expected to identify a media article which could be print or audio and analyze how media deals with and presents the issue to society. This is on the understanding that the media has the power to shape society’s knowledge and understanding about social issues, which in turn influence the making of legislation as well as its interpretation. For example, on the issue of disability rights, using the BBC article of 30th June 2021 titled ‘Disabled people forgotten during Covid’ by Ruth Clegg (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57652173), you are not expected to describe the content of the article, but summarize it and analyze it by commenting on what message the BBC are putting across about the issue of the rights of disabled people. You will be expected to correctly cite the media sources (see cite them right) and avoid writing in first person e.g. I think or I believe. Think about how the credibility of the source can influence public perception and how the media presentation can influence case law or legislation. E.g., the number of domestic violence cases is low as a result of media stories, thus influencing the rise of civil prosecution. You should also draw on at least one academic source.

Section three 700 words

Legislation and case law
For this section, you are expected to identify 2 pieces of UK legislation that are related to the issue you are discussing, and 1 case using West Law (not newspaper articles). The legislation you cite should be relevant to the social issue and current so please check to ensure that it has not been repealed. For example, looking at disability rights, the Equality Act 2010 has disability as a protected characteristic, and protects those with disabilities. Do not cite the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as this has been repealed and now only applies to those in Northern 

Section four 300 words

Conclusion
This is where you will bring it all together. You will need to summarize what you have said about the social issue, and how this is represented by the media, and addressed by legislation and the interpretation of law by the courts.