Courses

Choice of Subjects

For paper numbers and group designations see the Subject Papers page.

Law Tripos Part IA

A candidate for Law Tripos Part IA shall offer Papers 1-4. All candidates for Part IA should attend the three day introductory course, commencing on the first Thursday of Michaelmas Full Term (6 October 2011), to be held in the Faculty of Law building, 10 West Road.

Law Tripos Part IB

A candidate for honours in Part IB shall offer five papers chosen from among Papers 1, 2 and 4 and Groups II and III, provided that he or she shall not offer any paper which he or she has previously offered in any Law Examination of this University. Students who have not taken Part IA Law, whether they be affiliated students or students changing into Law, should attend the three day introductory course, commencing on Thursday, 29 September 2011, to be held in the Faculty of Law building, 10 West Road.

Law Tripos Part II

A candidate for honours in Part II shall either:

offer five papers chosen from among Paper 3, Groups III and IV,

or offer four papers chosen from among Paper 3, Groups III and IV, and in addition participate in a seminar course and submit an essay on a subject prescribed by the Faculty Board or chosen by him or her from a number of subjects so prescribed,

provided that he or she shall not offer any paper which he or she has previously offered in any Law Examination of this University.

Paper 13 may only be offered by candidates who have previously offered Paper 1 (whether in Part IA or Part IB).

Seminar Courses

Further information and application forms are available from Directors of Studies in late May/early June. Introductory meetings for all seminar courses are held in the last week of the Full Easter Term - attendance is compulsory for those wishing to enrol. Completed applications to take part in any seminar course must be received by the Faculty Office before the end of the Easter Term preceding the year in which the candidate wishes to take part. Later applications, provided that they are submitted not later than the end of the first week of Michaelmas Term in the academical year in which the course is to be conducted, may be accepted at the discretion of the Faculty Board. A candidate participating in a seminar is required to submit by the seventh day of Full Easter Term an essay not exceeding 12,000 words (including footnotes and appendices, but excluding bibliography).

The seminar courses for 2011-2012 are: Family in Society, Select Issues in International Law, The Legal Process: Justice and Human Rights, Women and the Law, Public Law, Ethics and the Criminal Law and Law and Economics.

For the Law Tripos Regulations (including those governing seminars), see Statutes and Ordinances 2010, p.344.

Study Abroad

A student may, on application to the Faculty, spend the year following completion of Part IB pursuing a course of study at a university in another country of the European Union. On successful completion of such a course, the student returns to Cambridge to commence studies for the papers in Part II as listed above. At present, the Faculty has exchange schemes with the University of Poitiers (France), the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands), the University of Regensburg (Germany), and the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain).

Syllabus and Examinations

Examinations will be set ON THE PUBLISHED SYLLABUS, and not simply on the material covered in lectures. The syllabuses for the academic year 2011-2012 follow. It is most important that each candidate is aware of the contents of the syllabus in each paper which he or she is offering.

Lectures and Copyright

Many lecturers are unwilling to have their lectures recorded and recording of lectures is not allowed unless a student has a very good reason such as a physical disability. Students who wish to record a lecture must obtain the permission of the lecturer concerned before doing so. It should be noted that copyright is held by the Faculty for all lectures and lecture handouts and that students are not permitted to reproduce these in any form. Any unauthorised reproduction may also result in an action for breach of confidence.

Plagiarism

Copying out someone else’s work without acknowledgement (i.e. by using quotation marks and footnotes) is plagiarism; so is rewording someone else’s work in order to present it as your own without acknowledging your debt. Plagiarism in work submitted for formal assessment is regarded by the University as the use of “unfair means” (i.e. cheating), and is treated with the greatest seriousness. Where examiners suspect plagiarism, the case may be referred to the Proctors. It may then be brought before the University’s Court of Discipline, which has the power to deprive culprits of membership of the University and to strip them of any degrees awarded by it. Information on plagiarism, including the University’s Statement on Plagiarism, can be found at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/. The Faculty of Law requires all coursework to be submitted electronically as well as in hard copy. The Faculty uses anti-plagiarism software in the manner described in a document entitled ‘Student information and consent form for the use of Turnitin software in 2011-12’ which can be accessed via the Official Faculty Documents page on the Faculty website (www.law.cam.ac.uk/faculty-resources/official-faculty-documents.php).

Transferable Skills

The Faculty of Law, in consultation with Colleges, has identified the ways in which undergraduates can acquire and develop certain skills and attributes ('transferable skills') throughout their University career. These skills, as well as enhancing academic performance, can be used beyond university and are highly valued by employers. Students are encouraged to make use of the opportunities afforded to them to develop those attributes which will stand them in good stead in later life. Examples of ways in which transferable skills may be developed by undergraduates in law are available in the statement on transferable skills on the Faculty’s website.

Examples of ways in which transferable skills may be developed by undergraduates in law are available in the statement on transferable skills on the Faculty’s website.