Critical Approaches to Information Law (830M3)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

on this module, you explore an area of the law where far-reaching effects of globalisation have produced considerable consequences: an area broadly termed ‘information law’. These legal developments are driven at global level by institutions that make policy and regulation, and have also witnessed the evolution of existing institutions and rules.

Areas affected by these changes range from international commercial relationships and trade to public policy questions regarding development, governance and access to technology. In this context, you will study these institutions to understand their constitution, structure, effectiveness and relevance.

You will also study the most pressing policy choices faced by governments, institutions and stakeholders, and how those policy choices are translated into the law. In relation to information law, the module focuses on the institutions that regulate and police new technologies, particularly those related to the Information Society.

We will also analyse the problems of access to these technologies, and how current regulation affects choices of law and regulation. This module includes treatments of the traditional field of information technology law with an examination of the role of law in the broader context of responding to advances in technology. The focus of the module is on the international nature of the subject matter – offering a highly comparative analysis of current legal developments around the globe.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 28 hours of contact time and about 272 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.